1. food and drink
2. beverages
3. alcoholic beverages
4. cocktails and beer

CoverApr11.indd 1
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a
we e k l y
e x p e r i e n c e
TASTES
CHANGE.
STYLE
IS FOREVER.
Fashion & Beauty. Home Décor.
Entertaining. Make a date
with all things aspirational
and inspirational in the newly
redesigned Globe Style every
Saturday, in paper and online.
To include yourself in the good
company that this magazine
keeps, call 1.800.387.9012, email
[email protected],
or visit globelink.ca/style
ST.19095.GlobeAndMail.Ad.indd 1
16/03/11 4:57 PM
CONTENTS
April 2011 • volume 22, issue 6
4
EDITORIAL
The importance of being there
8
UPFRONT
Skittles gets touchy online, Dove
encourages tweeting and dancing
12
CREATIVE
Adidas gets in the game with its
biggest global campaign
14
27
DECONSTRUCTED
Molson goes premium with M,
but how classy is it?
15
YOUTH REPORT
Strategy teams with DECODE to explore
how teens are communicating online,
and which brands are getting in on the action
27
WHO
Cynthia Dyson keeps BC Hydro connected
34
29
ON THE COVER The world is always
watching to see what Adidas will come
up with next. Whether it’s street parties
or Star Wars, the youth brand has clearly
cornered the market on cool. So when
Adidas revealed its new global campaign
created by Sid Lee that leverages sports
stars and celebrities (see p. 12), it seemed
a natural fit for the cover of strategy’s
youth issue (even if we had to sign multiple
NDAs). With a social media theme, this
issue is all about connecting with teens,
and no one does that quite like Adidas.
29
Spin Master makes a new play for
toy wars domination
34
MEDIA
Top youth brands micro-target teens
via values and fandom
38
FORUM
Tony Chapman advocates a new ad world
order, Ed Lee ponders a post-social demo
40
SHOPPER MARKETING FORUM
A look back at who delivered insights
from the leading edge of retail
42
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Contents.Apr11.indd 3
BIZ
BACK PAGE
John St. pioneers a new era
of youth marketing
S T R AT E G Y April 2011
3
16/03/11 3:38 PM
EDITORIAL
April 2011 Volume 22, Issue 6
www.strategyonline.ca
Executive Editor / Mary Maddever / [email protected]
Creative Director / Stephen Stanley / [email protected]
Associate Editor
/ Melinda Mattos / [email protected]
Special Reports Editor / Emily Wexler / [email protected]
Senior Writer / Jonathan Paul / [email protected]
Contributors / Lana Castleman / Tony Chapman / Melita Kuburas
Meet the new mass
Seems like the ad industry has been obsessed with digital and social media for a long time now. At
first, the level of scrutiny surpassed the reality – flocks of theories, but not too much to show for it.
Canada’s first taste of real success came with Dove’s Evolution viral, which sparked a media
frenzy that put Real Beauty on the map, then won two Grand Prix at Cannes in 2007. It’s also
been credited with starting a new era of branded content and the recognition of “earned media.”
Two years later, a little contest for the Best Job in the World swept most categories in Cannes,
and like Evolution, made international headlines; Queensland Tourism’s Trojan Horse of a contest
“earned” segments promoting the travel agenda across the world.
Brands that hadn’t been taking the ROI potential seriously, started to. And none too soon –
since this youth demo has always had the interweb, a very different consumer is emerging.
Now most campaigns have digital and social components and we’re seeing more digitally- and
socially-led efforts from a wider swathe of brands.
Some are brilliant. More are not. A lot look good on paper, but when you actually try out the “first
ever” gizmo aspects, they fall flat – they aren’t fun and they’re too much work for too little payback.
But for the audience that is drifting further away from the realm of cable TV and print media,
digital and social media are the new mass and must be mastered. Fortunately, we’re starting
to see that happen, and brands that have been tinkering in this space are achieving a better
balance, with campaigns that entertain across both traditional and digital platforms, and give
more reward for less effort on the online side.
To that end, given that it’s our annual youth marketing report, we took a social lens for most of
the issue. We rounded up the latest crop of campaigns with a social component, we looked at how
youth brands are using digital and social media, and we talked to youth about their online MO.
This generation of teens grew up with social media, and strategy’s Emily Wexler sat down with
the folks at Decode and a youth panel to explore how that shapes their outlook on advertising
and brands (see p. 15). While much has changed, some things never will. Despite airing their
every thought and action on social forums, teens still want to be covert on some fronts. One of
our panelists said his mum was new to Facebook so asked him to add her as a friend, and he told
her that he couldn’t. And like many of their elders, they don’t get Twitter.
Even brands talking to the youngest kids have embraced social media. Spin Master’s hot
property Bakugan is a transmedia native that’s also on Twitter and Facebook, and they’re using
that formula to launch its newest soon-to-be-franchise Redakai (p. 29).
But despite all the activity in this arena, there’s still lots of scope for more Canadian
brands to take better advantage of the unique targeting and cost-effectiveness of digital
and social marketing.
As with most things media- and marketing-related lately, it all comes down to content.
Evolution and Best Job in the World were brilliantly conceived – the ideas and execution earned
the brands A-list celeb treatment in mainstream media.
For brands about to embark on a social strategy, figure out what your talk value is. For Canadian
Tire (p. 8), it’s triggered by the insight that Canada’s “joys and jobs” hinge on our seasons, and that
the iconic retailer can play a role in those activities beyond just the functional, or as Rob Shields,
SVP, marketing, describes the new positioning campaign and social media push, “This isn’t going
to be a spot that says, ‘We’ve got weed eaters for $19.99.’”
You may need to up your brand’s content Q (rather than rely on the techy gimmicks that seem
to be a fallback for some). Whoever can make theirs the most relevant and entertaining will win
the most friends, and thereby influence the most people. AR assembly not necessarily required.
Cheers, mm
Mary Maddever, exec editor, strategy, Media in Canada and stimulant
4
S T R AT E G Y April 2011
EditMasthead.Apr11.indd 4
Ed Lee / Kevin Ritchie
Executive Publisher / Russell Goldstein / [email protected]
Account Manager / Stephanie Greenberg / [email protected]
Account Manager / Neil Ewen / [email protected]
Sales Agent / Mike Barrington / [email protected]
Marketing Co-ordinator / Lauren Talledo / [email protected]
Production & Distribution Co-ordinator / Robert Lines / [email protected]
Senior Manager, Audience Services / Jennifer Colvin / [email protected]
Assistant Manager, Audience Services / Christine McNalley / [email protected]
Administration
President & CEO / Russell Goldstein / [email protected]
VP & Editorial Director / Mary Maddever / [email protected]
VP & Chief Information Officer / Omri Tintpulver / [email protected]
VP Administration & Finance / Linda Lovegrove / [email protected]
VP & Publisher, Realscreen / Claire Macdonald / [email protected]
VP & Publisher, Kidscreen / Jocelyn Christie / [email protected]
How to reach us
Strategy, 366 Adelaide Street West, Suite 100, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5V 1R9
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w w w. s t ra t e g yo n l i n e.c a
21/03/11 11:00 AM
EVEN MORE CANADIANS WILL BE
SHARING THE NEWS. AND YOUR BRAND.
Metro launches April 4th in London and Winnipeg.
With two new Metros on the way, your brand will now reach consumers in
nine major markets, representing 77% of the country’s metropolitan areas.
Now that’s news worth sharing.
News worth sharing.
ST.19035.Metro.Ad.indd 1
15/03/11 1:43 PM
A WORD FROM THE PUBLISHER
April 2011, Volume 22, Issue 6
www.strategyonline.ca
UPCOMING EVENTS
Breaking down
the barriers
Packed with more data points than a NASA flight plan, the 2011 Shopper Marketing
Forum recently capped off its most successful edition yet welcoming over 300
delegates. With talk of a requirement for increased competitiveness at a fever pitch
given the recent onslaught of U.S. retail giants, the industry is searching for gains from
this burgeoning discipline.
In his keynote address, Dr. Brian Harris skilfully broke down the essential theory
underpinning the creation of successful shopper marketing programs, and what rang
through clearly was the need for manufacturers and retailers to understand how their
customer and shopper segments intersect. At its root, this is where the superior returns
are found and yet the vast majority of Canadian shopper marketing programs seem
doomed to mediocrity because there is often neither the depth of relationship nor the
inclination to share information at this level. It was certainly not lost on panelists of the
“Target is Coming. What Should Canadian Retailers Do?” discussion that one of Target
Corp.’s winning strategies has been its uncanny ability to differentiate and outperform
through collaboration with its manufacturing partners.
On that note, it was refreshing to witness the likes of Kraft and P&G presenting to
conference delegates their organizational approaches to shopper marketing, replete
with information-rich case studies and proprietary methodology. Even further evidence
of barriers melting away was the presence of Loblaw Companies’ marketing leadership,
on-hand for a rare partner collaboration session with agencies and manufacturers. It’s
not until the best successes and worst failures are analyzed, popularized and broadly
understood that the industry as a whole can recognize and build upon the benefits of
its own best practices. Given the broad participation from industry stakeholders at this
year’s conference it seems that we are well on our way.
We here at strategy would like to tip our hats to an exceptional advisory board
consisting of co-chairs Jason Dubroy of Spider Marketing and Kraft Canada’s Melissa
Martin along with CIM’s Mike Britton, P&G’s Yael Grimman and Campbell’s Martin Rydlo
for leading yet another breakthrough conference dedicated to the advancement of the
Canadian shopper marketing community.
Next up for the strategy team is the 14th edition of Canada's top kids and teen
marketing conference. Understanding Youth is set to take place on June 8 and if you’re
in the business of youth marketing or simply need to stay on top of what’s next, you
won’t want to miss out.
Russell Goldstein
Executive publisher, strategy, Media in Canada, stimulant
June 8, 2011
For sponsorship opportunities, please contact:
Stephanie Greenberg at 416-408-2300 ext. 444
or [email protected]
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE…
PAGE S22
LOYALTY
SOLUTIONS
UPCOMING
SUPPLEMENTS
May 2011
Flyers/Retail Advertising
Commitment date: March 30
June 2011
Newspapers
Commitment date: April 27
Contact: Stephanie Greenberg
[email protected]
or 416-408-2300 ext. 444
6
S T R AT E G Y April 2011
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Canada’s Top Advertising Professionals selected to
Judge The Globe’s Young Lions Qualifying Competition
As Canada’s official representative of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity,
The Globe and Mail is pleased to announce the selected juries for our
2011 Cannes Young Lions qualifying competition.
The Print jury will be moderated by Mary Maddever,
VP, Editorial Director, Brunico Communications (13).
The Media jury will be moderated by Lauren Richards,
CEO, Media Experts (17).
Dean Lee - Creative Director, DDB Canada (9)
Ian MacKellar - Creative Director, Bensimon Byrne (11)
Helen Pak - EVP Co-Executive Creative Director, Saatchi - Saatchi (14)
Deborah Prenger - VP Creative, Dentsu, Canada (16)
Jenny Smith - Creative Group Head, Target, St. John’s (21)
Angus Tucker - Co-creative Director and founding partner, john st. (23)
Tracy Bellamy - Managing Partner, MEC, Toronto (1)
Susan Courtney - VP, Group Media Director, Starcom (3)
Isabel Gingras - SVP, Managing Director, MPG Canada (5)
Judy Goddard - Senior Media Advisor, Denneboom (6)
Terry Horton - VP, Media Director, Cossette Media (7)
Zoryana Loboyko - VP, Client Services Director, PHD (10)
Karena Phidd - Group Director of Strategy, OMD Canada (15)
Shelley Smit - EVP, Managing Director, UM (20)
Ann Stewart - GM Managing Director, Excelerator Media (22)
The Film/Cyber jury will also be moderated by Mary Maddever (13).
Heather Chambers - Creative Director, Leo Burnett (2)
Jordan Doucette - Creative Director, Taxi Canada (4)
Michèle Leduc - President - Chief Creative, ZIP Communications (8)
Paul Maco - Co-founder, Studios Apollo, Montreal (12)
Martin Shewchuck - EVP-ECD, JWT (18)
Andrew Simon - Partner, CCO, Blammo Worldwide (19)
“Sponsoring Canada’s Young Lions allow us to champion and
support Canada’s rising creative prodigies, and be part of their
journey to compete on the international stage,” said Andrew
Saunders, Vice President, Advertising Sales, The Globe and Mail.
Go to globelink.ca/younglions to learn more about the Young Lions competition and the juries.
ST.19104.GlobeAndMail.Ad.indd 1
15/03/11 1:45 PM
CADBURY EGGS GOOGLE MAPS
BY KEVIN RITCHIE
Cadbury is taking
aim at young social
media influencers this
Easter season with
Returnofthegoo.ca, a
microsite that lets users
hurl its gooey Creme
Eggs at street addresses
on Google Maps. The interactive, Flash-based game features a “Cad-apult” that
viewers load with a Creme Egg and fire at a real-life street address. The candy
rockets through the stratosphere, past the Rocky Mountains and Canada
geese, before landing on an aerial street view of the intended target.
The target for the campaign is 18 to 34, with trendsetters in blogs and social
media a particular focus.
“The objective is to start small and grow the fan base through organic growth,”
says Michelle Lefler, manager of corporate affairs for Kraft Canada, Cadbury’s
parent company. “We’re targeting influencers online that are really interested in
this kind of marketing and creative execution; people that follow entertainment
trends, gossip trends, what’s cool and what’s hot in their marketplace.”
Conceived by Taxi 2 in Toronto, with creative repurposed from a 2009 Saatchi
& Saatchi London campaign, the site launched in mid-February. It’s supported
by three television spots, banner ads and social media outreach that will
last until Easter Sunday on April 25. Jungle Media handled media planning,
MediaVest handled the buy and Los Angeles-based Denizen handled seeding.
The site was created by New York-based digital production company B-Reel.
NEW YORK FRIES PUSHES POUTINE
New York Fries is seeking to capitalize
on the growing popularity of poutine in
English Canada with its first-ever radio
campaign, featuring the voice of iconic
Canadian actor Gordon Pinsent.
“Poutine has, over the last number of
years, become one of the most popular
foods in the country,” says New York Fries
(NYF) president and founder Jay Gould.
“We wanted to expand a little bit
more into the meal category,” he adds.
“I think many people still think of New
York Fries as a snack.”
Over the past several months, the
26-year-old brand has begun emphasizing poutine, which represents more
than 50% of its sales, with new menu items such Butter Chicken Poutine.
It has also rebranded and redesigned 91 of its 150 locations as New York
Fries Poutinerie, with plans to eventually revamp the rest.
To get the word out, Toronto-based Juniper Park created four “Poutine
Perfected” radio spots that launched in March. In each spot, Pinsent lists off
each specialty poutine’s ingredients before likening the dining experience to
other “high-end” activities, such as buying a pair of designer jeans for a kitten.
All stores serving the new items will receive promotional POS merchandise
with the slogan, “Is it wrong to undress poutine with your eyes?” Media
planning for the campaign was handled by Media Experts in Toronto. KR
8
Upfront.Apr11.indd 8
CANADIAN TIRE
BRINGS IT ON
BY MELITA KUBURAS
Whether we’re
panicking about
shovelling the
driveway after a
Snowmageddon or
bragging about a
trip to the cottage
for the May two-four
long weekend, as
Canadians, our lives
revolve around the
seasons. Canadian
Tire is working with
this consumer insight
for a new brand positioning campaign that celebrates the “joys
and jobs” of living in the north.
This month the retailer launched what Rob Shields,
SVP, marketing at Canadian Tire, calls the most integrated
marketing campaign ever undertaken by the brand. Created
by Toronto-based Taxi with media by Mediacom, it includes 10
new TV spots and a slew of outdoor and online executions with
the tagline “Bring it On.”
“Over the last couple of years, we’ve been getting much closer
to our customer in terms of insights about them,” says Shields.
Based on consumer research including transactional
information to understand shopping habits, and behavioural
studies to find out about customers’ mode of thinking, the new
campaign will “put up a mirror in front of Canadians and say, ‘Is
this your life?’” Shields says.
For instance, a spring campaign will show common activities
like bike riding and camping, “all sequenced perfectly when
Canadians are starting to think about these things.” A social
media campaign will encourage consumers to exchange tips and
tricks on “how to get the most out of life” on CanadianTire.ca
and the brand’s Facebook page.
“This isn’t going to be a spot that says, ‘We’ve got weed eaters
for $19.99.’ We’re talking about a pull strategy, which is, it’s spring,
it’s life in Canada, it’s patio season, and we’ve got Canadians
enjoying the patio and enjoying the product that we sell.”
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16/03/11 5:16 PM
CCS GOES NATIONAL
BY MELINDA MATTOS
The Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) is asking supporters to join the fight this April
with its first-ever nationwide campaign for Daffodil Month,
focused on six cancer stories from staff and volunteers.
“The cancer charity market is greater now than it ever
was, with over 200 charities with cancer in their name,”
says Matt Sepkowski, national director of marketing,
Canadian Cancer Society. “In order to remain
the most recognized and authoritative voice
on cancer in Canada, we must continue to
differentiate ourselves and further leverage our
strengths, which include our size, our commitment to
funding excellent cancer research, our support services
and our advocacy programs.”
With creative by Armstrong Partnership in Toronto and Giant Ant in
Vancouver, the ads (which include TV, radio, print and OOH) feature a personal
testimonial followed by a call to “Join the fight. Wear a daffodil.”
To that end, throughout April, CCS will also nationally debut daffodil lapel pins,
distributed at retail partners such as Curves, First Choice Haircutters, Laura,
T Booth Wireless and Wirelesswave. It’s a program that was piloted last year in
B.C. and the Yukon, and will now roll out across Canada, complementing the
usual fresh flower sales campaign.
“They can be worn for the entire month,” explains Sepkowski, “they are more
visible within the community and are a great conversation starter.”
The PVC pins (which include a stopper at the end, to prevent them dropping
like poppies) were designed to closely resemble the daffodil in CCS’s logo,
Sepkowski says.
The weight of the campaign will vary from market to market, with the
biggest pushes in Ontario (media planned by Toronto-based Mediacom) and
B.C. (media by Vancouver-based Genesis Vizeum).
SKITTLES INVITES TOUCHING
BY EMILY WEXLER
Wrigley’s Skittles brand may be known for its “Taste the Rainbow” tagline,
but this month it’s inviting consumer to “Touch the Rainbow”…well almost.
The brand worked with BBDO Toronto to create a series of YouTube
videos that viewers can “interact” with. They’re asked to touch the
screen, allowing their fingers to play a role in the stories, doing everything
from fighting crime to hitchhiking, befriending cats and even going to war.
Of course, the fingers don’t actually control the story, it just appears as
though they do.
With media handled by OMD, the videos will be disseminated through
YouTube postings, blogger seeding and Skittles Facebook postings (the
Skittles fan page has over 15 million fans, over 850,000 being Canadian).
Also, a YouTube masthead will appear several times throughout the
campaign. Naturally, Skittles is hoping for word of mouth and viral appeal
to spread the vids.
The videos will launch mid-month and run through early summer, but
will remain online indefinitely afterwards. With files from JP
“It’s spring, it’s life in Canada, it’s patio season”
SHOWCASE CREATES DIGI MYSTERY
BY KEVIN RITCHIE & JONATHAN PAUL
If you want someone to watch TV these days, one strategy is to hook them online via Facebook. Using a 20-second
online trailer, Showcase lured viewers into a crime-solving game as part of an experiential digital promotion for its
new hour-long drama series, Endgame, which premiered March 14.
Since the show features a chess master named Arkady Balagan who solves mysteries, would-be detectives were
invited to Showcase.ca/endgame to help Balagan solve a personally customized case that sees them rescue a friend
from a kidnapper. The thing that makes it unique and compelling is that the game uses information drawn from the
user’s Facebook account, including pics and personal intel. The site, developed in collaboration with Secret Location
in Toronto and Thunderbird Films in Vancouver, also offers behind-the-scenes footage, mini-games and full episodes.
To further entice viewers in Toronto, Showcase set up eight-foot-tall black and white king chess pieces in the
city’s downtown core that appeared as if they’d been murdered – one hanging from a noose, another stabbed.
The outdoor stunts began in March as part of a four-week campaign conceived and executed by the in-house
teams at Shaw Media, Showcase’s parent company. The media buy included “Solving Crime is a Game of
Strategy” TSAs, expandable floating ads on MSN.ca and AOL.ca, ads in the Toronto Star and Metro Toronto, and
an on-air promo on Showcase, Global and Shaw’s specialty channels in mid-February. Showcase.ca/endgame is
being promoted via lower-third tags during broadcasts, as well an on-air promo.
S T R AT E G Y April 2011
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16/03/11 5:17 PM
DOVE’S ONLINE SONG AND DANCE
BY EMILY WEXLER
MANULIFE SEEKS
DO-GOODERS
In a Toronto film studio, a group of 14 women from across the country gathered, dressed in
trenchcoats and galoshes, twirling umbrellas and dancing a choreographed number while
artificial rain fell from above.
They were there to create an online video for Dove promoting Nourishing Oil Care, a line of
shampoo, conditioner, leave-in and intensive treatment to combat frizz (hence the rain). It’s
the latest execution in keeping with Dove’s strategy of using real women. These rain-soaked
ladies weren’t professional dancers, but rather were chosen in a way that reflects how many
brands are communicating with their consumers – through social media.
Dove wanted to find gals who weren’t shy and were ready to accept the challenge of
“Singing in the Rain” so they chose women they’d gotten to know through Twitter and other
social media, first engaging them online and then sending a traditional invitation in the mail.
“We know there’s a new way of reaching consumers,” says Alison Leung, director, brand
building, hair care, Unilever Canada. “Ten years ago all you had to do was buy a TV ad,
some print and you were done, but we know that [the consumer is] bombarded with
different messages, and a lot of those messages happen to be about hair care so we’re
hoping we’re going to develop a really interesting, fun, entertaining piece of content that
we can now share to get the message about Nourishing Oil Care out there.”
The women were taught a routine by choreographer Aakomon “AJ” Jones (who has worked
with Madonna and Usher) and got to meet celeb hairstylist Mark Townsend, while being
encouraged to tweet and share their experiences throughout the day. They uploaded images
and talked about the Nourishing Oils products (which they had been using). Dove asked the
ladies to use the hashtag #singingintherain so the brand could follow the conversation.
And, of course, they were able to share the fruit of their labour when it launched at the
end of March. The video is being housed entirely online, at Dove.ca, as well as on Dove’s
Facebook page, and disseminated through bought and earned media. It’s part of a larger
traditional campaign that includes TV, print and PR.
Dove worked with Ogilvy on the creative, Mindshare for media and Harbinger for public
relations. The campaign will run through 2011.
10
S T R AT E G Y April 2011
Upfront.Apr11.indd 10
Manulife Financial and non-profit Volunteer
Canada are encouraging people to do good
through a new two-year digital push featuring a
“good-ometer” and a matching tool.
Based on the concept “What do you want out
of life?” online ads target youth, baby boomers,
families and employer-supported volunteers. The
ads tie in digital communications, with lines such
as “How cool would it be to get this text?” with
an image of a text message about volunteering.
They drive to Getvolunteering.ca, which offers
info, and visitors can link to Getinvolved.ca to
be matched with a volunteer opportunity by the
Manulife Matching Tool.
Manulife is also sponsoring the “Get
Volunteering” Facebook page, honouring the
10th anniversary of the International Year of
Volunteers and featuring an app to integrate the
Matching Tool into the Facebook environment.
A Facebook app also invites Canadians to build
a volunteer “good-ometer” to earn points for a
$25 donation to one of six charities, and Manulife
and Volunteer Canada will donate up to $10,000.
The campaign, which includes a TV spot,
follows the release of the Manulife-commissioned
“Bridging the Gap” study, which revealed
significant gaps between the opportunities out
there and the experiences volunteers are seeking.
Q Media Solutions developed the Matching
Tool and Getinvolved.ca and, while Manifest
Communications created Getvolunteering.ca,
the Facebook app and TV spot. EW
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16/03/11 5:17 PM
NEW IDEAS, AWESOME SPEAKERS, NO BULL$#%!
FROM ALL PERSPECTIVES AND...
RIGHT TO THE FUCKIN’ POINT
Get inspired.
The 2011 CMA National Convention is set for May 26-27.
www.the-cma.org/c
www.the-cma.org/convention
or call 416-644-3748
Early-bird registration is now open!
We’re getting right to the point with new ideas, evolving customer behaviours
and breaking news on the latest technologies that will transform large and
small businesses alike.
Getting to the heart of what matters are this year's distinguished keynote
speakers:
Arianna Huffington
President and Editor-in-Chief, Huffington Post Media Group
Jeffrey Hayzlett
Change Agent, Thought Leader, and sometimes Cowboy
Westin Harbour Castle Hotel, Toronto
Erica Ehm
Founder and Editor-in-Chief, YummyMummyClub.ca
Party Sponsor
Creative Sponsor
ST.19002.CMA.Ad.indd 1
Registration Desk Sponsor
Idea Pad Sponsor
Lunch Sponsor
Print Sponsor
Refreshment Breaks Sponsor
Delegate Bags & Gift Sponsor
15/03/11 1:46 PM
OUTSTANDING
NEW
CAMPAIGNS
You are cordially invited to submit your new, dead clever and previously unrevealed campaigns to Jonathan Paul, curator of strategy’s Creative space, at [email protected].
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creative.
ADIDAS GOES ALL IN
Adidas has put on its game face and is going “All In.” In March the brand launched a new effort,
“One Brand Anthem,” that’s bringing together its three lines of business (sports, style and
street) into one massive global brand campaign, the first time it has done so.
Previous efforts have focused on telling the singular stories of its various pillars, like its
“Impossible is Nothing” effort around its sports line and, more recently, its Adidas Originals
lifestyle line’s “Street Party.” Thanks to those campaigns, Steve Ralph, president, Adidas
Canada, says the brand is in a good position to tell its story in full.
“In the past we were trying to build credibility with the consumer,” says Ralph. “We now have
that credibility…It’s given us the confidence to market Adidas as a brand, instead of separate
[fashion and sports] brands.”
The strategy, says Jeff Cooper, director, marketing and communications, Adidas Canada, is
to reach out with this all-encompassing narrative and engage next generation youth (15- to
19-year-olds). The goal is to resonate with them across their various passion points, like
sports, fashion, music, film and gaming, pulling those together with Adidas’s sports, street and
style lines in order to position Adidas as a really meaningful brand in their lives.
To help bring its three pillars together into one narrative, Adidas developed the positioning
“For the love of the game, no matter the game, all sports, all interests, we put our heart into it,”
recognizing that with teens, love of the game is similar whether it’s a function of street, style
or sport. Whatever they’re passionate about, they really go “All In,” hence Adidas’s new tagline,
which Cooper says shows the brand is along for the ride.
“We want them to understand that we are just like them,” says Cooper. “When we put
together, promote or develop our products and services for them we’re ‘All In’ with them.”
The creative was developed by Montreal-based Sid Lee, Adidas’s global AOR, and supported
by the brand’s most robust Canadian media buy ever, which was handled by Carat Canada.
It works on three different levels. First, it aims to inspire, using a 60- and two 30-second
commercials airing on TV and in cinema to get people off the couch – they were teased by
five-second shorts prelaunch – as well as digital and high-impact OOH, which all revolves around
the insight that those experiencing an “ultimate moment” in something they’re passionate about
share a similar kind of “game face.” It features Adidas celebrity brand ambassadors, including
Argentinean soccer sensation Lionel Messi, the Adidas skateboard team, pop star Katy Perry and
soccer legend David Beckham as they work up to and experience that moment.
Next Adidas wants to engage through all the touchpoints where its target lives and plays,
using street-level signage, print and digital to bring teens even closer. At this level the
BY JONATHAN PAUL
creative features the brand ambassadors sporting relevant Adidas products, with a tailored
spin on the “All” messaging.
The digital components, the brand’s largest digital investment ever, include a full-fledged
YouTube experience with a bank of content available to be leveraged. It will work to further
bring the different Adidas lines together with more in-depth footage, showing the brand
ambassadors “going all in,” with the opportunity for visitors to shape their experience based
on their interests.
Facebook will also be part of the mix. Along with Adidas’s fan page, brand ambassadors’
fan pages will provide more in-depth “All In” video footage specific to the Adidas celebrities.
The campaign’s third level aims to convert people at retail by zeroing in on the products.
Adidas has engaged retail partners like Sportchek and Footlocker in the campaign, inviting
them to go “All In” as well by featuring campaign materials in-store that speak to their
particular consumers’ needs.
“The story is told right from top to bottom,” says Cooper. “It’s a brand campaign with a
unique message that ties product back into it. It’s making us relevant, but then making our
products relevant to the consumer also.”
“We’re storytellers now,” adds Ralph.
agency: Sid Lee
production agency: Jimmy Lee.TV
post-production: Jimmy Lee.TV
and Vision Globale
production house : 75
director: Romain Gavras
DOP: André Chemetoff
second director: Kim Chapiron
BTS director: Toumani Sangaré
executive producers: Yuki Suga,
Amy Miranda
line producer: Sybil Esterez
production coordinator: Rosine Chauvin
grading: Bertrand Duval
editors: Jono Griffith, Walter Mauriot
sound mix and studio: Marco Casanova,
Jérôme Gonthier and Boogie Studio
music: Justice “Civilization”
photographer : Cheryl Dunn (Commune
Images) and Mark Oblow (Studio 35)
production integration: Sid Lee
Technologies
director/editor: Jason Zada
production company: Lunch
development: Domani Studios
sound design: Six Degrees
S T R AT E G Y April 2011
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deconstructed.
MOLSON PAINTS IT BLACK
BY JONATHAN PAUL
OVERALL STRATEGY
Valiquette: The strategy is bang-on. Anything that gives Molson a more robust, more
differentiated portfolio of brands is exactly what they should be doing. The innovation of
the product itself is also solid. To me, the concept of microcarbonation and smoothness
fits well with the stated desire to make this a more modern and stylish beer brand.
Smith: The beer looks very tasty, but there’s nothing to set it apart from any other
premium beer. Yes, they claim it’s lager with microcarbonation, but if Molson’s trying to
target people who are looking for “innovation” then wouldn’t it make sense to explain
the microcarbonation process? One thing they’ve done well: I understand it’s not a beer
I’d buy and chug by the case on a Friday night with the guys.
The only thing micro about Molson M is
its carbonation process. The premium lager
recently launched across the country, after
testing in Quebec and the Atlantic provinces.
In a feature on Molson in strategy’s February
issue, Molson Coors president and CEO Dave
Perkins said “you’ll see innovation and efforts
from Molson Coors that broaden the amount
of alcohol occasions that are relevant to beer.”
This is one of those efforts. Molson M goes after
a different beer drinker: a down-to-earth person
who values innovation and is an opinion leader.
The brew also links itself to different kinds of
drinking occasions, distancing itself from sport
to align more with a sophisticated night out.
“Molson can be perceived as mass
production by certain consumers,” says
Francois David, senior brand manager,
Molson M. “We’ve been wanting to have a
beer that has a more premium image.”
The new lager is made using a
microcarbonation process exclusive to
Molson, touted in a TV spot, OOH posters and
a website, which bowed in March. The creative,
developed by BBDO, includes a TV spot that
shows the beer cascading across the screen,
gradually filling the letter M, before revealing
the man about to drink it. “The idea was to
focus on the beauty of the liquid,” says David.
We asked strategic planner and consultant
Max Valiquette (formerly of Youthography)
and Jenny Smith, creative group head,
St. John’s-based Target, to tell us if Molson
M will successfully shift perceptions around
beer’s rightful place on the table.
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BEER PERCEPTIONS
Valiquette: I love the idea of the
premium positioning, but I just don’t
get that from the brown bottle and
the black and gold label actually
looks sort of downmarket to me.
Molson wanted to show that this beer
was different, and yet we still end
up in what looks like a pretty typical
pub with a guy who looks like Joe
Canadian’s just-slightly more urban
cousin. Loving the strategy, here, but
I don’t think that this is necessarily
executing on it. Still, it’s a good start,
and shows that Molson is serious
about upping its game.
Smith: Molson M adds a new layer
to the Molson brand, but it doesn’t
really make me think of Molson as a
premium beer company. What I do
take from the spot, though, is that
I can enjoy a light-tasting Molson
product without being surrounded by
bikini-clad babes (which is even more
refreshing than the beer).
CREATIVE
Valiquette: The colour of the liquid is still generic lager. Since every beer brand talks about exceptional
taste and smoothness, most of the spot feels like it could be for anything. In fact, the liquid and the rock
music make it feel more like a generic Bud ad, until we see the logo. And the bubbles don’t look any
smaller to me. The website is a little better in that it tells us the beer’s already won a gold medal at the
2010 Canadian Brewing Awards, and the Facebook page, while hardly that creative, already has over
1,000 fans and the brand is posting well and regularly. I’d like to see a social media manager answer
questions posted on the wall directly though.
Smith: The beer looks very appealing, but it looks like any other lager. The Black Keys track is cool, but
isn’t exactly left of centre for a beer ad. And why does the dude at the bar (who looks like he should be
drinking Canadian) have no friends? As for the print, I think they missed an opportunity to explain the
process – if Molson is trying to target open-minded, stylish people, then why not tell a story or appeal to
them with sophisticated humour? Overall, the campaign is very safe and standard.
advertiser Molson; new packaging Spring Design NY; agency BBDO; media Saint-Jacques Vallée MEC;
web and social Proximity
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I
SOCIAL
BY EMILY WEXLER
Y
oung people live online, so it comes as no surprise that marketers have been
busy exploring ways of being present in this aspect of their everyday. But it’s a
delicate dance. You don’t want them to feel bombarded or ignored. You want to
engage but don’t want to compromise your brand image. With the social media space
still relatively uncharted territory, there can be a lot at stake.
For this year’s look at marketing to youth, strategy partnered with DECODE to unveil
some insights about how teens behave online, and while some results may simply
reaffirm previously held beliefs, a few nuggets will make marketers think twice about
how they’re engaging in this space.
Next, we sat down with a group of teens who proved that this demo is highly savvy
about advertising. They’ve got your number, but do you have theirs?
And finally, we talked to a few brands that have fearlessly committed to communicating
with their young consumers online, the payback being high levels of engagement and
loyalty. They share what they’ve done and lessons learned along the way.
Of course, with social media constantly evolving, the learning process is never-ending.
But here we offer a place to start.
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I SOCIAL
Toronto-based youth research and innovation firm
DECODE has partnered with strategy to unveil some
of the findings of its DECODING Digital Friends
study. They surveyed 1,049 young people aged
15 to 35 and had 50 keep online diaries. They also
had four online dialogues with groups of 10 youths.
Here, we pulled some key findings from the 15-to-19
age group and asked Scott Beffort, lead strategist
and head of innovation at DECODE, what the
information means to brands.
DECODING
DIGITAL
FRIENDS
It’s a social world
It’s not the size of the network, but the size of the core
Social networking has overtaken all other forms of communication among
teens. Here’s a breakdown:
380
Average total network for teens:
(Average total for people 15 to 35 = 283)
The core teen network:
Average number of best friends:
Average number of close friends:
Average number of family members:
43
Percentage of teens using the following forms of
communication on a regular weekly basis:
68% Social networks • 46% SMS • 48% Email • 8% Twitter
Facebook is it
We all know how prominent Facebook has become, but did you know that
most of the conversations teens are having in the hallways at school originate
on Facebook?
“We call it ‘social media,’ they call it ‘life,’” says Beffort.
“There’s lots of options right now for organizations to build for different
platforms, but Facebook is clearly the most dominant, the most engaging
platform that there is. If you target the right people on Facebook, they will take
your message to other platforms for you. So if you’re only building for one
platform, especially for young people, Facebook is it.”
6
22
15
“Your core network is really where you get your indicators from, where you get
your most trusted recommendations from, it’s where influence comes from,
it’s where opinions that matter come from.”
The parent factor: “One of the things we do know definitively is that
parents are incredibly influential and oftentimes much more influential than
brands think that they are.”
What are teens using social media for?
connect with people I know
Why no tweets?
“If you were dropped from another planet onto Earth today, or at least in North
America, and you just started listening to radio and watching TV, you’d think
that Twitter was used much more than it is. We think one of the reasons for
this is, in general, social media is not always social. Meaning that when you
think of the word ‘social’ you think about interactions between individuals, one
person and another. When we actually dig into social media, we see that there
are clear core behaviours – sharing, using, commenting, rating, creating. When
you look at Twitter, two of the major components of that are creating and/or
sharing. Twitter requires you to have a more active participation in that form
of social media, and by nature, most of us aren’t…it’s actually used as a way to
stalk information, looking for new ideas. I think the more utility Twitter offers,
the more popular it may become among teenagers.”
keep up to date on news/info
form of entertainment
learn about events
communicate with brands
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
“Brands need to respect the fact that they’re a visitor, they’re a guest at the party.”
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PHOTO BY CHRISTINA WELSH
The importance of Buzzfluencers
Buzzfluence (a term trademarked by DECODE) is an index made up of qualitative measurements
(attitudinal, behavioural) and quantitative elements (size of networks, size of core network).
“We didn’t set out to develop the index, we saw consistencies, common behaviours among groups
of people. We realized there’s a small percentage of the population across all life stages that are highly
influential. So we developed an algorithm to help our clients find this valuable segment.”
35% of teens are Buzzfluencers
average network size of a Buzzfluencer:
482
What to do with your Buzzfluencers?
Emulate them: “Brands might start having to act more like them – not just on their own website, going
out and creating more, using social media more, being active within it themselves and even rating more.”
Work with them: “Bring them in to help shape a social media strategy in a way that you probably
wouldn’t have done in the past, but will probably be much more disruptive than any other strategy you’re
going to build because of who they are.”
“What happens if you send more relevant, respectful recommendations?
51% of the time that converts or translates into a purchase. Trusted, known
brands have a privileged place in social media. Social media is not an
environment, I think, where brands are going to be built, it’s where good
brands can become better or stronger.”
How teens behave online:
88% Using (listen/read/look) • 79% Creating
63% Commenting • 48% Sharing • 36% Multi
“Ultimately, brands need to understand that [teens are] not interacting
with social media equally. Forty-eight percent of them share but don’t
share all things, 79% might create but don’t create all things. Just because
they’re creators or sharers doesn’t mean that they’re both. So ultimately
understanding the most value is really trying to find the people in your
network who are most influential.”
A rateable world
What are the top three favourite types of information
you like getting most from any organization digitally?
65% Free stuff • 35% Promotions • 33% Contests
Teens respond “I like this brand and have communicated
with it digitally”:
67% of high school students rate things through social media.
Google
“They’re growing up in a world where everything is rateable – their teachers,
clothes, parents. My provocation to brands is, how easy are you to rate, and
where does that take place? If 67% of high school students or teenagers are
rating today and you haven’t provided a way for them to interact with your
brand through rating, then you’re probably leaving an opportunity for them to
engage with you off the table. The other reality is that if they’re not rating you
in your environment, they are rating you somewhere else.”
Apple
Microsoft
The Olympic Games
Tim Horton’s
Walmart
Nintendo
MuchMusic
MTV
What qualities must an organization have for you to do
something with a recommendation from them?
Discovery Channel
0
They are trustworthy
10
20
30
40
50
60
“Across the board, look at the percentage of young people that engage
with brands they like digitally. So they’re growing up digitally in an
environment that’s synonymous with social media, yet [the majority] of
the audience isn’t engaging with brands in a digital way. The [brand’s]
mobilization should be coming through social media. The story is what’s
left on the table.”
They are experts in the area of interest
I have had in-person experiences with this organization
Others made a comment or post that I agreed with
It was rated favourably by others
DECODE is a global strategic consultancy that merges research and
innovation to solve clients’ biggest challenges related to young people.
Since 1994, DECODE has completed over 500 projects for the world’s
leading businesses and governments. www.decode.net
I have regular interaction with this org. digitally
I have received similar info from them before
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
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TEENSLOGIN
The panel: (left to right)
Jake, 17; Jack, 17; Micah, 16;
Nicole, 18; Tabitha, 18
Strategy and DECODE sat down with a group of teens in DECODE’s Toronto
office to get their thoughts on life online – from love/hate relationships
with Facebook and Twitter to how they feel about outside forces (brands,
parents) infiltrating the space. Here’s what they had to say…
How many times a day do you check Facebook?
Nicole: Too often.
Tabitha: On weekends I’ll check it more. It’s not my
first priority during the week.
Jack: It’s a little more interactive than [checking].
I come home after school, I’ll look at it then, but
I couldn’t tell you how much time, it’s just sort
of there. I’m not actively using it but it’s in the
background. I might check in every 15 minutes.
Micah: I’m usually on and off in 30 seconds
because I have Facebook Mobile on my iPhone
and on my mail it also comes up in Facebook
notifications.
at all. Unless it’s sharing a link on their wall or
something, but other than that I don’t.
Are your parents on Facebook and if so, are you
friends with them?
Tabitha: My dad and stepmom are and I’m friends
with them, but I don’t really care cause I’m pretty
upfront with my parents.
Nicole: I’ve got three uncles on Facebook, but they
don’t tell my parents anything.
How many friends do you have?
Tabitha and Jack: Around 600.
Nicole: Around 400, more people than I know.
Micah: Around 450, I know more than 85%. Not
personally, but I went to their school, I know who
they are.
Jake: 630 or 640.
How many would you say you know on a
more personal level, that you talk to in your
regular life?
Jake: 25%.
Nicole: Maybe less. The majority of the people
I have on Facebook, maybe I was acquainted
with them in the past or I went to high school or
elementary school with them, but the majority
I don’t speak to anymore. Maybe 15% I have
personal relationships with.
Jack: I’d say 40 or 50 friends that I actually interact
with. The number that I’d actually call up or write on
my wall is pretty small.
Tabitha: My closest friends I don’t talk to online
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Micah: I’d say [my brother and I] have 10 or 15
family members.
Jack: My mom is on, but she hasn’t figured out the
adding friends thing. She asked me to add her and
I told her I couldn’t.
Do you “like” any brands on Facebook, and if so
what are they?
Nicole: Only TV shows like Supernatural,
Dr. Who, Glee.
Any of you like any consumer brands?
Jack: I play golf so I like Nike Golf and Titleist
because they have free stuff to give away on the
page and I figured it would be cool if I could win a set
of golf clubs.
So what motivated you to like them? Was it
winning free stuff or to get info?
Jack: I never really liked things, I didn’t like the way
it looked and didn’t feel it necessary. I find it geeky
when people fill up their page with things they like.
Tabitha: I agree. I know people who have way more
likes than they do friends, they spend way too
much time on Facebook.
Jack: I might spend that much time, but I don’t
want everybody knowing that. It’s just free stuff.
Is it a space that you think it’s okay for
brands to be?
Everyone: Yeah.
Jake: You see it come up in advertising now, where
it’s not just go to the website, it’s check us out on
Twitter, go to our Facebook. But I think Facebook is
the least legit, because the website’s the website
and Twitter is constantly updating…Facebook is
fine but it’s more just falling into the category of
“LOL if you like this picture,” those kinds of things.
Tabitha: Your attention is still brought to the
product and it’s in your mind.
Jack: Advertising and Facebook, it’s not really the
purpose of it, but it’s really effective because I know
the ads on the little sidebar are all geared towards
me. That’s effective because when I’m watching an
ad on TV, I don’t really bother, but I have clicked on
[Facebook] ads before. It kind of freaks me out that
they have pages for products – it just feels like I’m
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I SOCIAL
becoming friends with a product. I don’t think that’s
what Facebook is about, but it works because I look
at them and it draws my attention.
Are you more likely to click on a banner ad than
you are to “like” a brand on Facebook?
Jack: Yeah, because I feel like I’m always getting
scammed when I like stuff because sometimes
you click on things and it says you have to like it to
see the page. That makes me mad. I would click
on them and check out products if it’s something
interesting to me.
What if you could interact with them more,
like you could ask them questions, would that
encourage you to like them more?
Tabitha: A lot of companies get so many likes that
they don’t have the time, or won’t give you the
time, to answer your questions. If they did, there
to Facebook, like I wouldn’t say it’s a good idea
to start at Facebook as your main source of
advertisement, you want to get the ads going on
TV, on posters and even a sidebar on Facebook.
Jack: I agree. How many people really love
Facebook? I think if you ask people, a lot are not so
keen on it. People don’t ask for your phone number
anymore, they ask to add you on Facebook.
Jake: The word “friend” has taken a turn.
Are any of you on Twitter?
Nicole: Yes.
Jack: I have one, I’ve never done a tweet.
Jake: I follow people on Twitter and I’ll check it out
but I’ve never made a tweet.
Have you ever participated in a contest online?
Jake: Yes, for Pokémon cards.
Nicole: For Harry Potter merchandise. You enter
your email and you can win.
Do you follow any brands?
Nicole: Not really, mostly friends and celebrities.
Jake: Mostly just Sports Illustrated and other
magazines and people.
How about a contest where you had to do more
than just enter your name, etc.?
Jack: I’ve done sports pools. Like Sportsnet and
CBC ran some.
Those that aren’t on it, why not?
Tabitha: I have no use for it. Besides, Facebook just
consumes too much time in my day.
Micah: I don’t think I’d
be able to identify what
a Twitter page
is if it didn’t say Twitter
at the top. I don’t even
know what you do on it.
Jack: I don’t really
get it…It seems sort
Have you ever been influenced by a brand
online to do something or buy something?
Jake: I’m sure subconsciously.
Jack: I saw an ad online and I ended up buying a
golf club from the company because I went to their
website. But I went to the retail location.
Tabitha: Brands will put out a new product or line of
something and you can go online to check it out.
Nicole: I’ll get ads for different books and next
time I’m in Indigo, I’m more likely to check it out.
LIKING A BRAND ON FACEBOOK
DOESN’T MAKE THEM MY FRIEND
OR GIVE THEM ANY REASON TO
PERSONALLY CONTACT ME
would be 500,000 people writing on that wall.
Nicole: But if it’s a smaller company, if they did
answer that would give me more of a reason to like
them on Facebook.
Let’s say I run my own brand and it wants
to talk to teenagers, what would you do
differently? How would I use Facebook?
Jack: I think a discount. I’m not interested in special
deals or products or you sending me information
because most of the time I’ll just ignore it, but if I
look on your page and I see that I get 10% off for
liking you, I wouldn’t be opposed to that.
Tabitha: And if you give a good description of what
your company is.
Jake: It’s external influences that will bring you
of redundant, like
Facebook but on a
platform that’s not
what people are
looking for…there’s
just not enough people
on it to make it worth
my while. If all my friends had Twitter and that’s
what they were using, I’d go on for sure, but it seems
like sending a personal message and stuff like
that – you can do all that on Facebook. I’m just not
interested in what Justin Bieber is doing.
Nicole: I would rather go on Twitter than Facebook,
to tell you the truth. Twitter is less of a hassle and
you’re not constantly getting emails for updates
[on Facebook]. I think it’s much more relaxed…I
personally hate Facebook. I find it a social necessity,
but it drives me insane and I wish I didn’t have it.
Why is it a necessity?
Nicole: For my generation especially, it’s just with
planning events and communicating with certain
people, it’s easy and everybody has Facebook now.
What makes you trust a company online?
Tabitha: I don’t really trust any company online…If
it’s a chain store then it’s more trustworthy.
Jack: Having a retail location is important. Being
offline and having pictures of that retail location.
And also just being big enough. Like eBay, I don’t
have a problem trusting it because there are
millions of people and I don’t feel like millions of
people are getting scammed.
What are the worst things brands can do in
terms of reaching out to you in social media?
Nicole: No constant notifications.
Jack: Nothing on my wall. Just respect for space.
Liking a brand on Facebook doesn’t make them
my friend or give them any reason to personally
contact me. I find if they’re too pushy–
Tabitha: They’ll lose your business.
Jack: I don’t need any personal contact. I’m fine
with ads on my sidebar, but once I get notifications
or inboxes I’ll just remove it.
Jake: We need to make the first move. [We have to]
like them, they don’t like us.
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SOCIALSTUDIES
It takes more than just a Facebook
page or user-generated campaign
to be effective in the social media
space. Strategy gathers lessons
learned from a few brands that are
ahead of the curve when it comes
to engaging with youth online
When strategy and DECODE sat down with a group
of teens (see p. 18), we asked if they were aware
of various brands’ engagement in social media,
and there was only one that the entire panel
knew about: Doritos. For the past three years,
the Frito Lay brand has been building buzz and
experimenting in the social media space through
its user-generated campaigns, “Guru,” “Viralocity”
and the latest, “The End.”
While the first two iterations asked fans to
create videos, the latest campaign only asked
for a 200-word write-up of how they would end
a commercial – a much easier ask, resulting in
entries that far surpassed their goal of 6,000
even in the first week. They also brought back a
prizing aspect from Guru – 1% of future sales of
the product – and are inviting the winner to be
part of a “Think Tank,” providing their thoughts and
opinions to the brand.
The changes reflect a few lessons Doritos has
learned along the way – that not everyone is a
“creator” ready to make and post a video (more
passive users need love too) and that making them
part of the process can be mutually beneficial.
“We truly want to democratize marketing this
year,” said Haneen Khalil, marketing manager for
Doritos, when “The End” launched.
“It’s easy to get fans,” says David Jones, VP
social strategy at BBDO, Pepsi/Frito Lay’s AOR.
“You can buy a lot of media and get a lot of
eyeballs and attention, but they’re only going to
stick around if it’s interesting and it’s used well and
20
S T R AT E G Y April 2011
Youth.Apr11.indd 20
it becomes part of their life in a meaningful way.”
That’s what Pepsi is attempting to do with
the Pepsi Refresh Project (PRP), the ongoing
global initiative steeped in social media, inviting
consumers to submit causes they care about,
gain votes and win funds for the project. After
launching in Canada, Pepsi saw its Facebook
fans grow by 100,000 in six months, says Neetu
Godara, marketing manager, Pepsi Trademark.
Last fall they ran PRP on campus, asking
Canadian university students to take a picture with
a sign describing what charity they care about
and then spread the pictures via social media for a
chance to win $5,000 for their charity and $5,000
towards their tuition. In six weeks, the number of
fans increased by 20,000.
Since its launch on Facebook in 2009, Pepsi has
offered light-hearted engagement like the “joyous
word of the day” to deeper interactions like
backstage online access to MuchMusic’s MMVAs.
As most brands present in this space
have learned, Pepsi knows it has to keep the
entertainment coming, and the dialogue open.
“We not only respond to questions but
proactively appreciate engagement on the page,
so if someone posts a picture, we try to encourage
it and validate that we’re listening,” says Godara,
who notes that they have learned how to listen,
and when to be part of the conversation – that
it’s sometimes better to step away and let the
fans talk among themselves, and that they’ll often
come to the brand’s rescue.
Godara also notes that brands shouldn’t be
afraid of facilitating a dialogue with young fans,
a sentiment echoed by BBDO’s Jones: “Those
negative comments are happening about you
anyway. You can cover your ears and pretend
they don’t exist [but] I would rather hear them
and participate with the audience in some way to
either make it better or at least pay attention to
what is going on,” he says. “It may not be what I
want to hear, but it’s pretty real and useful, and
if brands listen, they’ll learn something about
their consumers.”
One brand that has been listening for longer
than most is Canada’s Wonderland. How does an
Ontario amusement park become the fifth most
“liked” Canadian brand on Facebook (behind
giants RIM, Tim Horton’s, Budweiser and Telus)?
The answer for Wonderland has been to adopt
early and engage often.
Wonderland first joined Facebook in 2007,
before it really became popular for brands to do
so. At the time, the goal was to interact with youth
aged 12 to 24. It just so happens that its second
demo, moms aged 35 to 49, came to Facebook in
droves later, and now the platform aims at both,
explains Dave Phillips, VP marketing and sales,
Canada’s Wonderland. The fan count is now up to
over 425,000 and the brand has spread its social
media wings to Twitter and YouTube.
Like Pepsi, Wonderland monitors the site but
doesn’t “Big Brother” it, says Phillips, and they will
respond to fan questions as openly and honestly
as possible. It recently did a few weeks of “Ask the
GM” where fans could ask the general manager
anything and get real answers. Phillips says they
treat their Facebook fans “no different than a
loyalty group.”
Part of Wonderland’s Facebook success can
be attributed to one word: fun. Sounds simple,
but the brand lives by an “80/20 rule” – 20% of
what is posted is about the brand and its offers,
while the other 80% is about entertainment – fun
w w w. s t ra t e g yo n l i n e.c a
16/03/11 5:14 PM
I SOCIAL
Above: Marianas Trench play a concert for the winners of Garage’s “Get Loud” contest.
Opposite page: Canadian celebs get in on the Pepsi Refresh Project action.
activities, facts and info to keep its young audience
engaged. This has included everything from how
many foot-long hotdogs they’ve sold to posting
exclusive shots of concerts by artists like Nelly,
Justin Bieber and Hedley.
“The burnout rate for that younger demo [is
high], they will go away pretty quick,” says Phillips.
“They’ve got us and five other sites open at the
same time.”
Last August when Wonderland wanted to unveil
a new ride, the WindSeeker, it decided to do it
exclusively on Facebook, teasing to the page
and counting down to the big reveal through its
website, print and in-park signage.
Keeping fans entertained is why in two months
the brand will launch a new Facebook game that
allows users to build their own amusement park
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1
Youth.Apr11.indd 21
(similar to the popular Farmville), and will have
other interactive games reminiscent of the games
offered at the park (think Whack-a-Mole). It’s also
launching a new website this summer that will
have a strong social media focus, and upping its
YouTube presence with a new channel.
By July, Phillips says, Wonderland hopes to be up
to 600,000 Facebook fans. It seems they’re well
on their way.
Like Wonderland, Garage is a brand that
has learned that entertaining your audience
sometimes tops brand-related content.
If you happen to be a 16-year-old girl, you’re
probably familiar with Garage, the clothing store
that has become ubiquitous in malls across
Canada, and recently in the U.S. and Middle East.
With over 200,000 Facebook fans, the brand is
the only one with a teen-only demo to crack the
top 10 Canadian brands on Facebook, coming in at
number nine.
“We try to remain in-tune with the customer’s
lifestyle, so whatever it is that’s important to her
at that moment [such as] pop culture, we try to be
in the know, so when we talk to her about that, we
sound authentic,” says Melissa Bissell, marketing
manager, Garage.
They’ll poll fans on their favourite bands or
suggest playlists and ask pop culture questions to
get their opinions.
By tapping into its consumers’ interests, Garage
was able to create a contest they knew would
appeal. “Get Loud” invited fans to create a video
showing their “Garage spirit” (in whatever form
the participants chose) to collect votes and win
a concert for their school by Canadian band
Marianas Trench. Over 200 videos received over
317,000 votes and 13,000 comments.
“It was inspiring to see our brand championed
by our customers and it was really interesting to
see that they perceived the brand the way we’ve
been marketing it,” says Bissell.
Committing to social media has not only given
Garage an inside view into its demo’s world, it’s
also created loyalty among a group that can be
fickle and skeptical.
“I think it’s scary for some brands to let go a
little bit and give people that voice, but I think
as long as you learn from it and react to it, it’s
actually an opportunity,” says Bissell. “When we
reply to some of our fans, they’ve written back and
said, ‘wow, you’re the only brand that’s written
back to us, thanks.’ It makes them feel like you’re
listening, and that’s important.”
16/03/11
16/03/11 4:58
5:28 PM
PM
SPONSORED SUPPLEMENT
LOYALTY SOLUTIONS
How optimizing your loyalty program can
boost sales, engage consumers and set
your brand apart from competitors
Canada is one of the most developed loyalty markets in the world,
so chances are pretty good that most Canadians have at least one
loyalty card in their wallets, from AIR MILES to Aeroplan to Shoppers
Optimum and everything in between.
In fact, a staggering 93.6% of Canadians belong to at least one loyalty
program, according to a 2009 study by COLLOQUY. Additionally, the
average Canuck is an active member of 9.2 programs, versus 6.2 per
consumer south of the border.
As a result, Canadian consumers have come to expect a little something
extra when they part with their money, whether it be points, discounts,
perks or recognition of their preferred status. That means Canadian
marketers have to be very strategic about their loyalty programs in order
to stand out and give consumers a reason to sign up and participate each
time they make a purchase.
When done right, loyalty programs can be a great way to engage
consumers, boost sales, beef up customer data and ultimately create a
richer brand experience. Comprehensive loyalty solutions go well beyond
simply doling out points. Today’s programs are robust, complex and
interact with consumers through multiple channels.
Thankfully, since the Canadian loyalty market is so developed, it is
home to some of the world’s leading loyalty solutions providers that can
help you get the most out of your loyalty efforts.
GET TO KNOW YOUR CUSTOMERS
When a customer self-identifies by providing a loyalty card each time she
makes a purchase, you can develop a comprehensive picture of who she
is and what her shopping preferences are.
“Most marketers have a clear view of their sales and transactions, yet
many don’t know who their customers are,” says Scott Robinson, senior
loyalty consulting director at Mississauga, Ont.-based Maritz Canada. “Data
collected through loyalty programs can help fill in that blind spot about
who their customers are, which yields benefits across an organization.”
As loyalty programs mature, it’s becoming even easier to get a clear
picture of who the customer is. “The programs launched a few years ago
were focused on transactions. They’re evolving towards engagement,”
says Brenda Higuchi, vice-president of strategy and measurement at
Mississauga, Ont.-based Carlson Marketing. “It used to be all about points
and prizes. Now it has evolved to encompass things like partnerships and
location-based rewards. It has gone from mass to one-to-one.”
Bryan Pearson, president and CEO of Toronto-based LoyaltyOne, points
out that as loyalty programs move towards more multi-tender options, it’s
easier to track all purchases – whether they’re paid for with cash, credit or
debit. “It enables companies to capture a broader view of customers,” he says.
Of course, once you do get to know your customers better, they expect to
be treated accordingly. “What’s great is that consumers really understand
now that it is an exchange,” says Higuchi. “But in return for sharing their
information, they expect relevance, and they want great experiences.”
LEVERAGE YOUR DATA
It may sound like a no-brainer, but a lot of companies aren’t taking full
advantage of the massive amounts of data they’re gleaning from their
loyalty programs. “Today, most organizations are trying to figure it out.
They have data and have done very little with it,” says Pearson. He says that
could be due to a number of reasons, including the possibility that many
organizations are overwhelmed by the complexity of the data. In those cases,
companies could benefit from the expertise of loyalty solutions providers
that can distill the data into simple, executable insights. “Companies can
then tailor things like pricing, merchandizing and store layout to create an
optimal experience based on these insights,” says Pearson.
He adds that optimizing data is steadily becoming a focal point for
more and more organizations. “There’s a real emergence of companies
starting to explore the question of what am I going to do with the data,”
says Pearson. “How can it inform strategic planning with pricing and
promotion, merchandizing, assortment, customer service and so on.”
Higuchi agrees that companies need to do more with the substantial
information loyalty programs can net. “Leverage that data beyond
the marketing department. That information can be applied to sales,
customer service, operations,” she says. “The data should allow you
Carlson Marketing
Carlson Marketing offers end-to-end loyalty
solutions, from program design through rewards
fulfillment and every step in between. Carlson
Marketing can leverage its extensive expertise in the
loyalty space to help clients set the right objectives,
figure out the right value proposition or even refresh
existing value propositions. The company can help
clients save money by creating the most costeffective loyalty solutions possible.
Carlson Marketing offers clients access to its
proprietary tool called GLOBE: Global Loyalty Online
Booking Engine, the first application to allow fully
automated online travel redemption using loyalty
currency. This helps clients cut costs by reducing the
number of travel agents they require. Carlson Marketing
also offers an application called SalesDriver, which is
geared towards mid-sized companies. It enables clients
to self-administer their loyalty programs.
The company has had a mobile practice since 2002,
which means it has almost a decade of in-market
experience and insights to draw from. Carlson
Marketing is committed to developing integrated
multi-channel communications that reach the right
customers at the right times in all of the right places.
When it comes to loyalty solutions, Carlson
Marketing is a big believer in three guiding principles:
Inspire every customer. Motivate their return. Engage
at every point of contact.
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SPONSORED SUPPLEMENT
LoyaltyOne
As a global leader in customer loyalty, LoyaltyOne
helps its clients profitably change customer behavior.
It provides expertise on all aspects of customer
loyalty including program strategy and design,
coalition loyalty programs, insight and analytics, and
relationship marketing. The company’s clients include
leading businesses and brands across sectors such as
retail, banking, manufacturing, government, natural
resources and utilities.
Clients benefit from LoyaltyOne’s depth of
experience as the operator of the AIR MILES
Reward Program, Canada’s premier coalition loyalty
program that has over 10 million active Collector
accounts representing more than two-thirds of
Canadian households. Leveraging its unrivaled
reach, LoyaltyOne also created AIR MILES for Social
Change, which partners with government agencies,
energy utilities, transit authorities and NGOs to shift
consumers toward healthier and more sustainable
lifestyle choices.
In addition, LoyaltyOne operates a family of
businesses with expertise across the loyalty space.
Precima helps retailers increase sales and profits
through insights gleaned from shopper-based
analytics. COLLOQUY offers loyalty industry
insights through its publishing, education and
research practices. LoyaltyOne Consulting provides
strategic counsel across the loyalty spectrum and
Direct Antidote is the leading customer loyalty
agency in Canada.
The new AIR MILES mobile app allows Collectors to find Sponsor locations and access exclusive bonus offers on the fly
to optimize all communications. It can help shift the communications
budget to the most effective channels.”
Leveraging data across multiple departments can lead to significant
company-wide cost savings, as well as a better overall customer
experience. Higuchi says companies should be conscientious about
integrating data across all products. “Customers believe they should be
recognized in every way they interact with the company, not just one,” she
says. “They want to be rewarded for their total interaction.”
Data can also help companies pinpoint insights that could identify
potential benefits to offer within their programs. “The opportunity to
differentiate doesn’t reside in simply offering more points. That’s not a
sustainable differentiator,” says Robinson. Instead, he says, companies
can stand out by offering benefits that are meaningful and relevant to
customers. A good example in the hospitality industry is automatic room
upgrades upon check-in for top-tier members.
Robinson points out that there are intrinsic motivators for consumers,
too, like the pursuit of a goal or a certain status. “A typical myth is that
loyalty is achieved only at the time of redemption,” he says. Rather,
consumers may be striving to reach the next tier of a loyalty program
or maintain a preferred status on a leaderboard, for instance. Robinson
points to FourSquare as a good example of an intrinsic motivator, as
people aim to attain or maintain “mayor” status.
lived in the loyalty space for 20 years,” says LoyaltyOne’s Pearson. “We have
the know-how to help companies with everything from strategy through
technology through tactical execution.” Maritz also offers flexibility. Robinson
says, “Our loyalty platform is modular in that clients opt to use only the
necessary elements such as POS integration, data warehouse, and more.”
LoyaltyOne has worked with a diverse array of companies through
its AIR MILES Rewards Program, too. It recently helped one Canadian
municipality boost sales of its annual transit passes by 57% during
the month it offered rewards. It has also partnered with non-profits
and government agencies looking to piggyback on the AIR MILES
communications platform. Last year, LoyaltyOne helped the Ontario
Power Authority (OPA) generate a 700% increase over its typical response
rate for a third of the cost. “We’ve got an efficient communications
platform and meaningful currency,” says Pearson.
LoyaltyOne can help retailers develop meaningful strategies through its
insights and analytics company, Precima. Pearson says Precima recently
helped a retailer unearth a significant opportunity at one of its locations.
While the store catered to singles and students, it sold primarily familysize portions in one of its sections. Based on Precima’s analysis, the store
adjusted the makeup of its assortment, and wound up increasing sales
by 20% in that section. “There’s a lot that can be gained by reflecting and
identifying potential value gaps,” says Pearson.
SOLUTIONS FOR EVERY COMPANY
UP NEXT
As loyalty solutions become more sophisticated, more companies can get
in on the action. Many loyalty solutions providers offer modular a la carte
options that allow companies to cater to their own needs instead of having
to pay for a complete solution designed for a much larger organization.
Carlson Marketing has developed products specifically designed for
mid-sized companies. Offering solutions with minimal customization,
and allowing companies to self administer their programs. Higuchi points
out that such applications are a great solution for companies that are lean
and mean, but still want to get into loyalty.
Of course, any company getting into the loyalty market needs to think
its strategy through thoroughly first, instead of simply launching a quick
“me too” program to keep up with competitors. “A lot of people forget
that once you give birth to the baby, you have to feed the baby,” cautions
Higuchi. Develop a budget, and figure out from the start how to handle
things like dormant accounts and potential liability issues.
Maritz and LoyaltyOne also offer a la carte products and services. “We’ve
It’s clear that Canadians are more than attached to loyalty programs. As
more brands enter the loyalty market, the table stakes will continue to
rise as companies compete to differentiate themselves.
Maritz expects that next-generation loyalty programs will apply lessons
from game science and integrate game mechanics into programs. Game
science is aligned with Maritz’s focus on exploring intrinsic motivation in
loyalty. “Through games we pursue goals and master skills. Games are social
in that we collaborate to unlock rewards and compete for limited resources,”
Robinson says. “Shouldn’t loyalty programs be inherently engaging too?”
Mobile is nothing new in the loyalty space. In fact, Carlson Marketing
has had a mobile loyalty practice since 2002. But as mobile use becomes
even more prevalent, it will become an even more vital component in
loyalty. Higuchi says that Carlson Marketing can help clients tap into
mobile to increase customer engagement in their program. Through
mobile communication solutions, customers can receive mobile alerts
advising them of special promotions or offers that can immediately link
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SPONSORED SUPPLEMENT
to the programs’ mobile catalogue to redeem – whether it’s merchandise,
gift cards or travel. It’s also a great tool to educate front-line staff about
new programs and promotions
LoyaltyOne rolled out an AIR MILES application for the BlackBerry
and iPhone late last fall that lets Collectors find the nearest sponsors and
receive exclusive bonus offers. “We’ve seen the downloads of our offers go
up by about 10-15 per cent – that tells us consumers are pulling up those
offers first and then shopping at those retail locations,” Pearson reports.
Pearson predicts that social media will become a bigger part of the
loyalty space in the near future. “It’s under-utilized right now,” he says.
LoyaltyOne has created a community on the AIR MILES website, where
Collectors help each other maximize their rewards accumulation. “It’s a
very powerful tool. It’s bringing word of mouth to life,” he says.
Canadians are undoubtedly devoted to their loyalty programs. But as
more and more companies enter the market and loyalty programs become
more complex, savvy marketers would be wise to enlist help from the
experts to make sure they’re getting the most out of their loyalty efforts. It’s a
complicated venture, but an extremely fruitful one when executed properly. •
Maritz Canada
Maritz helps clients design, implement and
operate loyalty programs that are differentiated
from the competition, and drive True Loyalty™
among target customers.
Maritz offers end-to-end services, including all
elements from program design through to tactical
execution and measurement. Maritz takes a crossfunctional approach to everything it does, balancing art
with science to deliver the most impactful solutions for
clients; marketing scientists collaborate with creative
professionals and digital specialists to design, deliver
and optimize all solutions.
Maritz boasts a comprehensive toolkit of loyalty
services including consulting, creative strategy
and interactive services, advanced analytics and
research, rewards fulfillment, as well as proprietary
loyalty technologies.
Maritz loyalty technology platform is modular,
so clients can customize it to best suit their needs.
The platform covers everything from point-of-sale
integration, a communications engine integrating web,
email, mobile and social channels, plus points bank and
calculator, call centre administration application, data
warehouse module and more.
Maritz Canada Inc. creates personal connections that achieve business performance and build brand communities
push the boundaries of loyalty
Scan this QR code to download our white paper “A New Paradigm
for Loyalty Marketing”— or visit http://bit.ly/maritzloyalty2011.
In order to scan this QR code, your mobile device needs a scanning application. If you do not have one, see your app store for options.
www.maritzcanada.com
ST.18937.MaritzCanada.Ad.indd
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4:59 PM
ST.18978
BOXERS OR
BRIEFS?
At LoyaltyOne we know customers, intimately.
As a leader in enterprise loyalty, we know that the key to building businesses is understanding how to profitably change customer
behaviour. We have multi-industry experience that allows us to develop solutions that are specific to your business needs. Through
loyalty strategy & programs, customer analytics and relationship marketing, we have an unmatched ability to turn knowledge into results.
So whether you sell boxers, briefs or something else entirely, we can help grow your business.
Discover what LoyaltyOne can do for your business. loyalty.com
“LoyaltyOne” is a service mark of Alliance Data Systems Corporation or its affiliates.
ST.18978.LoyaltyOne.Ad.indd 1
15/03/11 1:48 PM
Make commitment issues a non-issue
As the leaders in consumer loyalty marketing, we’ll help you design, build
and launch an exciting loyalty program that will keep your customers in
love – and coming back – again and again.
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ST.19000.Carlson.Ad.indd 1
15/03/11 1:49 PM
who
BC
HYDRO
regenerates
As the utility hits the big 5-0, marketer Cynthia Dyson is
keeping it youthful through experiential stunts, crafty OOH
and teen-focused digital
BY MELINDA MATTOS
Bio
Born: Nanaimo, BC. Nov. 30, 1967
Education: Communications and political science,
Simon Fraser University
Career: Dyson started out in corporate
communications, working at Vancouver Coastal
Health and Overwaitea Food Group before taking
on an internal communications role at BC Hydro.
During her 19 years at the utility, she’s worked in
departments such as corporate communications,
community relations, the corporate sustainability
and corporate environmental group, and public
consultation and communications. She took
on her current role of director of marketing
communications and brand strategy two years ago.
As BC Hydro celebrates its 50th anniversary
this year, it’s gearing up for an era of rebuilding,
with a slew of new infrastructure on the way,
plus upgrades to existing facilities. But for these
changes to go smoothly, it needs the support
of the public.
“We need to enrol and engage every single
British Columbian, because it will mean work in
their backyards, as well as jobs and injections into
the economy,” says Cynthia Dyson, director of
marketing communications and brand strategy.
“When people think of BC Hydro, their bill is
the first thing they think about,” she says. And
the upcoming rebuild means those bills will only
get higher, with the average consumer expected
to see 32 percent increases over the next three
years. So, as Dyson says, “We want them to be
proud of and support what we’re doing.”
With help from its AOR DDB Vancouver, the
utility will be rolling out an anniversary campaign
this spring that shifts its branding from “BC Hydro
for generations” to “BC Hydro regeneration,”
which it expects to use for 18 months. The
campaign will pay homage to the utility’s past
province-building efforts and the work being
done to ensure sufficient power for the next
50 years. The effort will entail TV, digital, print
and community outreach, with media by OMD
Vancouver and PR by National.
Dyson is no stranger to BC Hydro’s history:
she’s been with the company for 19 years, taking
on her current role two years ago.
Although getting the public to associate BC
Hydro with anything other than their hydro bill is a
challenge, Dyson has been able to flex her creative
muscle while working on the utility’s conservation
program, Power Smart. So has DDB, which has
won 33 awards for its Power Smart work over the
past three years (including work by Tribal DDB
and Karacters). The BC Chapter of the American
Marketing Association also recognized the
Power Smart work by naming BC Hydro its 2009
Marketer of the Year.
“It’s almost like a sister/brother relationship,”
Dyson says. “Power Smart allows us to play in a
w w w. s t ra t e g yo n l i n e.c a
Who.Apr11.indd 27
Power Smart ads by DDB Vancouver ask, “Why
doesn’t wasting power seem as ridiculous?”
fun space because we actually need people to do
something at the end of the day: we need people
to change their behaviour and think about their
purchasing decisions.”
Recent campaigns for Power Smart shifted
focus from using less energy to using energy
wisely. DDB’s fall campaign compared wasting
energy to wasting other resources. One TV
spot showed a child intentionally leaving the
tap running all day long, and a woman taking a
single bite from an apple before throwing it on
the ground and biting another. It closed with
the voiceover, “The most ridiculous thing about
S T R AT E G Y April 2011
27
16/03/11 3:44 PM
who
BC Hydro made clever use of OOH during Power Smart Month, including a bus shelter ad that only glowed when someone was nearby (left).
wasting power is that, for some reason, we don’t
think it’s ridiculous.” Print showed consumers
wasting everything from ketchup to dog kibble.
The Power Smart branding has been in market
since 1989, which is why it has lots of traction,
Dyson says. As an example of its effectiveness,
she points out that since 2007, Power Smart has
delivered more than $150 million in bill savings.
“I hate to say it, but it’s got better brand
awareness than the BC Hydro brand, and better
affinity [from] customers,” she says.
That affinity probably has a lot to do with Power
Smart’s memorable stunts.
Last October, BC Hydro kicked off Power Smart
Month with a stunt in downtown Vancouver that
saw two actors living inside shipping containers
at the busy corner of Georgia and Granville for
a week. The spaces were furnished to resemble
condos, each with a living room and kitchen area
that included a refrigerator, computer and TV.
Although the living spaces were identical, the
actors’ behaviours weren’t: one was wasteful
in his power use, while the other was efficient,
and digital counters on the outside of the boxes
revealed the difference in energy consumption.
To ensure a waste-free stunt, the appliances
were borrowed from retail partners like London
Drugs, and other items from inside the “condos”
were donated to charity at the end of the week.
Organized by Vancouver-based experiential
agency Smak, the stunt garnered attention from
passersby and media alike.
“I think people got it,” Dyson says. “It was an
easy way to look at the difference in terms of
lifestyle [and] the reaction was great.”
Other Power Smart Month executions practiced
what they preached: a rotating billboard stating
“Unplug things when you’re not using them” was
28
Who.Apr11.indd 28
kept static, with a giant plug dangling from the
side to drive the message home; a transit shelter
ad with the copy “Turn off lights when you’re not
using them” was equipped with a motion sensor,
so that it only glowed when someone was nearby.
Each execution saved over 100 kilowatt-hours
of electricity.
Over the holidays, the utility did Christmas light
home makeovers in several B.C. communities,
knocking on unsuspecting customers’ doors,
offering to replace their old Christmas lights with
energy-efficient LED ones and creating YouTube
videos to document the results.
And the utility had a big presence at the
Vancouver Olympics last year, creating a
Power Smart Village that included a Home of the
Future (featuring GE appliances with intelligent
energy-use features) and a “sustainable dance
floor” that converted people’s fancy footwork
into energy that made the floor glow.
“It was a technology developed in Holland,
so we brought it out here for the Olympics and
Paralympics,” Dyson says. “If enough people are
bouncing up and down, it creates enough energy
to keep the dance floor lit.”
With Tribal DDB and Radar DDB helping raise
awareness through a microsite and social media,
the Power Smart Village gave BC Hydro non-bill
related visibility in a central location for six weeks.
And the success of features like the dance floor
taught Dyson a key lesson: “It’s all about the hook.”
While the dance floor was a draw for little kids
and their parents, BC Hydro has been reaching
out to teens with another type of creative
expression. Its annual fall/winter “Invent The
Future” campaign, executed with help from
Vancouver-based Hangar 18, centres on a contest
that asks 16- to 24-year-olds to write an essay,
create a video or (new this year) write and record
a song about conservation and energy, and then
upload it to Inventthefuture.ca.
Because of its youth focus, the campaign is
promoted almost exclusively via social media.
“What we say about it is, if adults never hear about
it, it’s great,” Dyson says.
This year, celebrity judge Kristin Kreuk (a
Vancouver-born actress best known for her role
on Smallville) helped generate online buzz by
posting a YouTube video encouraging people to
participate, which got nearly 25,000 hits.
About 130 contestants submitted creative work,
while over 6,600 visitors pledged to be smart
with their power for the chance to win a Mountain
Equipment Co-op gift card.
The six grand prize winners of a week at
Gulf Islands Film School were decided by a
panel of judges, but visitors to the site could also
vote for their favourite entry, with retail partner
Best Buy providing a “People’s Choice” award
comprised of an iPod Touch, a docking station
and a $100 gift card.
Beyond befriending youth online, BC Hydro has
discovered that even small incentives can go a
long way towards winning new friends and, with
any luck, influencing people of all ages. In the
lead-up to Power Smart Month, the utility did a
social media growth campaign with DDB Canada
and Radar DDB that gave a big boost to its number
of Facebook “likes” and Twitter followers – with a
little help from one of its retail partners.
“We did it by offering $5 London Drugs coupons,”
Dyson says. “Be our fan, get to know us and get $5
to use towards energy efficient products.”
At press time, BC Hydro had 7,788 “likes” on
Facebook. Not bad for a utility company with
a high-profile rate increase on the way.
w w w. s t ra t e g yo n l i n e.c a
16/03/11 3:45 PM
biz.
SPIN MASTER’S
POWER PLAY
The Toronto-based global toy co is sending Redakai into battle in toy stores and on TV
this year, but will it have the category-busting power that Bakugan did?
If Spin Master received a report card, it would
no doubt say “Plays well with others.” After
all, its breakout hit Bakugan was developed
in partnership with Sega Toys in Japan and
Toronto-based animation house Nelvana,
and the franchise has gone on to include
videogames with Activision, a film deal
with Universal and even McDonald’s
happy meals.
The marketing plan for Bakugan
– which leveraged TV, digital,
word of mouth, experiential
and retail partnerships –
was a far cry from the
traditional kids’ model of a
commercial that yells the
product name 96 times
(though Spin Master
does that sometimes too). It’s a transmedia
success story that both the competition
and potential partners would be wise to
keep in mind as the Toronto-based
global toy co gears up to do it all
over again with a new property
called Redakai, launching
this summer.
But let’s start with
Bakugan. Centred
on a card game
and plastic
marbles that
pop open
into
little fighting characters, Bakugan launched
in Canada in 2007 with an accompanying
anime-style cartoon series called Bakugan Battle
Brawlers (Spin Master’s first co-production).
After finding its footing here at home, the
brand entered the U.S. market in 2008 and
by the holiday sales season, a Bakugan toy
was being sold every 2.5 seconds.
As sales expanded worldwide,
Bakugan became a billion-dollar
franchise – one with enough
cultural cachet to be parodied
on The Simpsons and included
in a Jeopardy! question.
“Bakugan was something
extremely special because all of the
elements sort of clicked together,”
says Harold Chizick, VP, global
communications and promotions, Spin Master.
“We had a compelling entertainment
property on its own and we also had an
incredibly innovative toy on its own – I
think either one of them could’ve been
hugely successful without the other.”
Together they were unstoppable,
propelling Spin Master to become
North America’s fourth-largest toy
company in 2008, after Mattel, Hasbro
and Lego. Spin Master’s success with
its first TV show also
prompted the
company to
open its
own
BY MELINDA MATTOS
entertainment division that year, focused on
the design, development and production of
cross-media entertainment properties.
But television wasn’t the only medium that
helped fuel the Bakugan craze. Spin Master
leveraged digital in all forms, including a
brand site that houses product and gameplay
information, Twitter and Facebook pages that
encourage fan interaction, a podcast featuring
interviews and event coverage, and a YouTube
channel with product previews, commercials
and tournament footage. It even took a page
from Webkinz’s playbook (see “Ganz stays
social,” p. 32) in launching a multiplayer online
world called Bakugan Dimensions. Third-season
toys featured special access codes that allowed
kids to enter the online world with their
Bakugan characters, create their own avatar,
chat and battle with other gamers.
Spin Master was
launched in 1994
by three
university friends
– Ronnen Harary,
Anton Rabie
and Ben Varadi –
who started with
a budget
of $10,000 and a
single product: Th
e Earth
Buddy. A surpris
e hit, the pantyho
se-covered
head sprouted gra
ss “hair” when wa
tered. The
trio followed it up
with a handful of
novelty
products, but did
n’t find big succes
s
again
until 1998, when
Spin Master launc
hed its first
Air Hogs air-pres
sured airplane wi
th help from
two British inven
tors. Since then,
Sp
in Master
has introduced a
slew of hot kids’
toy
s ranging
from finger-skate
boards and bikes
(Tech Deck
and Flick Trix, res
pectively) to Baku
gan. It’s
signed licensing
agreements with
ma
jor
players
such as Nickelode
on and Disney, se
cu
red
distribution in ov
er 50 countries,
opened its
own entertainmen
t division and no
w employs a
global staff of rou
ghly 1,000.
Spin Master is looking to
repeat the success of Bakugan
(above) with Redakai (left).
S T R AT E G Y April 2011
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biz.
As Bakugan’s popularity grew, Spin Master
also went the experiential route, providing
opportunities for kids to play against other
Bakugan hotshots. The toy co teamed up with
Toys “R” Us stores in Canada and the U.S. in
2010 to create the Bakugan Battle League,
which saw kids play in-store tournaments
with each other using their own supplies.
Participants received a league membership
card and certificate commemorating their
participation, and had the chance to win
prizes. That same year, Spin Master also
hosted the first Baku-Con for American
players, inviting kids in Chicago, Los Angeles,
Dallas, Orlando and New York to duke it out
in regional tournaments, with the top 16 from
each city flown out to the championships in
New York City.
Part of Bakugan’s success was derived from
offering play technology that neither kids nor
parents had seen before. As Chizick points out,
“There had been no innovation in basic marble
play for hundreds of years, and here we come
with this little transforming marble.”
For Spin Master’s new property, Redakai, the
special technology is housed within the trading
cards themselves, which use lenticular imaging
to create 3D effects without the need for special
glasses. Portions of the sturdy plastic cards
are also transparent, allowing players to stack
damage and enhancements onto other cards.
Not only does the design offer up cool effects, it
also makes it immediately clear who’s won
each battle, without the need
to keep score on
paper.
30
Biz.Apr11.indd 30
S T R AT E G Y April 2011
Above: Spin Master’s 2011 Bakugan toy line includes the projectile-shooting Dragonoid Destroyer.
Below: The gameplay for Redakai was developed with the help of Magic: The Gathering champ Justin Gary.
Redakai’s straightforward game play is no
accident. In developing the new game, Spin
Master enlisted Justin Gary, who travelled the
world as a Magic: The Gathering player in his
late teens and early twenties, and later became a
game developer.
“That was a huge coup for us, getting someone
who was able to help us develop a game that
was strategic yet simple enough
for six- to 10-year-olds to
understand,” Chizick
says. “Other
trading card
games
are complicated, the scoring isn’t easy – boys
buy the cards to collect them, but don’t really
play the game.”
In addition to the cards, Spin Master will
launch Redakai accessories and action figures
this year, with more licensed goods to roll out
through 2012. (Bakugan merch has included
backpacks, books, clothes and lunchboxes.)
An animated TV series called Redakai:
Conquer the Kairu will also launch in North
America this year, focused on three teens on a
quest to “gather magical Kairu energy, harness
its power and defeat the evil forces of Lokar,”
Chizick says. Co-produced with Zodiac Kids
in France, the show will air on the Cartoon
Network in the U.S. and YTV in Canada.
Global release dates for Redakai have not yet
been issued, because as Chizick points out,
“So much of it hinges on securing a broadcast
partner. It’s one of the cornerstone elements of
the property to create the story and help kids
understand what Redakai is.”
It’s a strategy that worked for Bakugan.
The animated series (about the lives of the
creatures inside the balls, and the “battle
brawlers” who possess them) not only
educates kids on the brand’s mythology, its
battle sequences also show viewers how the
game is played.
As Spin Master readies Redakai for launch,
Bakugan is just finishing its second season in
Europe (two years behind North America) and
is also seeing growth in Africa, the Middle East
and Asia.
“There are plenty of markets that are just
hitting the peak of the mountain [in terms of
Bakugan’s popularity],” Chizick says. “I think
w w w. s t ra t e g yo n l i n e.c a
16/03/11 3:52 PM
point values indicating how rare they are in the
the best takeaway is that in every market we’ve
100-plus item series. They sell for a suggested
entered with Bakugan, we’ve seen the exact
same trajectory of how it takes off and explodes.” retail price of $1.49 each or $5.99 for a six-pack.
Each eraser is comprised of several separate
Buoyed by the success of Bakugan’s brawling
pieces (one for each colour), so they can
marbles, Spin Master recently opened up new
be disassembled and reassembled, like tiny
offices in Amsterdam and Munich, adding to
puzzles. “It gives you that fiddle factor, where
the locations it already had in Paris, London,
kids just want to hoard them and adults want
Mexico, LA and Toronto.
to hoard them too,” Chizick says.
The company’s global focus
Gomu was launched with
applies to more than just its
a TV spot produced
expansion plans, however;
in-house, featuring a
it’s also evident in its
jingle that leaves
trendspotting prowess.
“Gomu! Gomu!
Spin Master recently
Gomu!” ringing in
noticed a booming
your ears.
collectible-eraser craze in
“We thought
Asia and brought it to North
if we brought
America, launching a line
[this trend] to
called Gomu in January.
North America
“It’s one of the things that
and put it on
we’re famous for – finding hot
TV that we’d
trends, capitalizing on them and
make enough
creating a brand out of it before
people aware
other people can get to market so we
of it that it had the
become the lead brand,” Chizick says.
Far too cute to actually erase with,
Spin Master brought collectible potential to be a big line
erasers to Canada with Gomu.
for us,” Chizick says,
Gomu collectibles come in shapes
“and so far so good.”
ranging from bunnies to iPods, with
Gomu has been selling out at stores, and
a YouTube search reveals plenty of usersubmitted “unboxing” videos showing kids
opening their eraser packs to see what’s inside.
While Bakugan, Redakai and Gomu are
generating the most buzz at the moment,
Spin Master has plenty else on the go. A new
fashion-activity brand debuted at New York
Toy Fair in February called Bizu mirrors the
“fiddle factor” of Gomu, allowing girls to make
a beaded bracelet that transforms into a cute
animal – a product that may even woo kids
away from their Silly Bandz.
Spin Master also recently entered the board
game aisle by acquiring the distribution rights
to Stratego and other games. This year it
will release new remote-controlled vehicles
featuring characters from Disney-Pixar’s
upcoming Cars 2 movie, including a talking
Lightning McQueen car and the gravitydefying, wall-climbing Finn McMissile. It’s also
giving Barbie a run for her money with new
additions to its Liv doll line.
“People used to say we were like an item
house – we’d have one item, it’d be in the
market for a couple of years and then go away,”
Chizick says. “Now we’ve really become a
company that builds brands.”
THIS IS WHERE WE LIVE
All Essential Services. One Essential Source.
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biz.
Ganz stays social
Spin Master isn’t the only Canadian toy co aiming to repeat past
successes. The maker of Webkinz is finding new fans in the mobile
sphere, and preparing to launch two new virtual worlds – one with
a target demo that might surprise you
including a Webkinz Newz site that promotes
Ganz knows a thing or two about building
online social spaces for kids. The Woodbridge, new games, products and contests, and a
Twitter account that drives to it.
ON.-based company kick-started the
Last summer, Ganz brought Webkinz into
web-enabled toy category with the 2005
the mobile age by creating an app of one of its
launch of Webkinz, beginning with a stable
arcade-style games, Goober’s Lab. Available for
of 12 plush toys that eventually grew to 200.
iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, the game reached
By 2007, Webkinz had become North
number one in the Kids Game category of the
America’s “it” toy – a cross between Beanie
App Store, and #6 in the Puzzle Game category,
Babies and the Tamagotchi that left parents
and was soon followed by a second release,
scrambling from store to store, trying to find
Polar Plunge. Two more apps were released this
someplace that wasn’t sold out. And they’re
year, with more to follow.
still making new friends: Webkinz Signature
Not only do the apps drive
Collection toys made an appearance at this
awareness of Webkinz to a
year’s Oscars, included in the gift bags at the
market who may not have
Red Carpet Style Lounge.
encountered the brand,
Bridging the
they also allow players to
gap between
generate KinzCash, the
real-world play and
virtual currency of Webkinz
online interactivity,
World (typically generated
Webkinz toys come
by playing games, answering
with a special code that
trivia questions or adopting
allows kids to log in to the
new pets),
Webkinz World site with their
which can be
new pet, where they can fill out
transferred to
its adoption papers, feed it, dress
their online
it and decorate its room.
account.
Through the use of their
“KinzCash
pet’s online avatar, visitors to
is an
Webkinz World can also play
important
quiz- and arcade-style games,
aspect of the
enter online tournaments and
Webkinz gaming experience
even chat with other kids
through “constructed” chat,
Ganz expands from Webkinz (above) as it gives kids the opportunity
to participate in the Webkinz
which ensures no personal
to Tail Towns (top right).
economy,” says Tamara
information is disclosed.
Horowitz, VP, interactive marketing, Ganz.
Although only one Webkinz toy is required
“Members use their KinzCash to purchase
to enter the world, once kids are there, the
food, clothing or decorative things to feed or
gameplay itself acts as a marketing tool,
clothe their pets or decorate their homes.”
exposing them to all the characters they don’t
Although Webkinz World is geared towards
have. Limited edition Pets of the Month and
boys and girls aged five to 13 (with a Webkinz
impending “retirement” of characters also help
Jr. site for kids three to six) Ganz has found that
drive sales, with the Ganz eStore selling both
adults have been getting into the game too.
real-world plush and online-only items.
Combine that fact with the popularity of
Not surprisingly, much of Webkinz’s marketing
online social games ranging from Second Life
efforts have been focused in the digital realm,
32
Biz.Apr11.indd 32
S T R AT E G Y April 2011
to Farmville and it’s not hard to see why Ganz is
setting its sights on a whole new demographic.
Tail Towns, set to launch this spring, will be a
multiplayer online world targeted at women.
“We decided to launch Tail Towns because
there is an absolute gap in the market,” says
Horowitz. “Experts estimate anywhere from 40
to 60% of online gamers are women.”
“Webkinz World is a robust site targeted
to children, so we look to provide the same
quality of experience with female gamers —
many of whom are already huge Webkinz
World devotees,” she says.
Tail Towns players will gain entry through the
purchase of a collectible figurine of a woodland
creature representing their online character
(think Precious Moments meets Fantastic Mr.
Fox), sold in gift and specialty stores.
Unlike Webkinz World, adult players in Tail
Towns will be able to chat freely with each
other while they explore the virtual landscape,
completing various quests. A press release on
the game hints at adult themes: “Even Tail
Towns has its dark secrets. You will discover
and explore tangled tales of forbidden love,
true romance and hidden treachery.”
While it remains to be seen how Tail Towns
will fare with adults, Ganz is also reaching out
to the demo it knows best by building a new
multiplayer online space for kids aged six and up.
“Amazing World will be based on the proven
play pattern of discovery,” Horowitz says.
“Through a series of quests, kids will play and
level up through the many different tiers of
Amazing World.”
Though most details are being kept under
wraps, Amazing World is scheduled for launch
this summer, with the purchase of a toy once
again providing entry.
But Ganz isn’t leaving Webkinz behind.
This year, it’ll launch the brand’s very first
television ad in select U.S. markets, with
creative by youth-focused New York agency
Posnick Plus and production by Toronto-based
Buck Productions.
w w w. s t ra t e g yo n l i n e.c a
16/03/11 3:53 PM
2011 SMCC CONFERENCE
& AWARDS PRESENTS
Global kids’ properties to watch
Looking for the next Buzz Lightyear and Woody for a cereal
promo or QSR tie-in? The editor of Kidscreen magazine predicts
which kids’ brands are destined for greatness in 2011
BY LANA CASTLEMAN
In 2010, the top five kids’ entertainment licences were Barbie, Disney Princess, Dora the Explorer,
Star Wars and Toy Story. You can expect to see those occupying a good chunk of retail real estate
and promos this year, but they’ll have their work cut out for them. Franchises targeting boys, in
particular, are going to find themselves in a very crowded field as a host of strong newcomers
look to make a dent in the market. In addition to Spin Master’s Redakai (see p. 29), here are
three to watch out for.
Cars 2
Okay, so Cars is not really new, but
there’s been a five-year gap between
the release of the first Disney-Pixar
blockbuster that grossed close to
half a billion dollars worldwide and its
sequel, landing in Canadian theatres
on June 9. The boy-focused property
has been generating roughly $1 billion
a year at retail since 2007, so expect to see that number go way, way up. Lightning McQueen and
Mater will be everywhere – including Spin Master’s lineup.
Moshi Monsters
The U.K.-based virtual world has
30 million registered kid users around
the globe and it’s now moving into
ancillary products and other media.
Children’s publishing giant Scholastic
will be producing books inspired by
the wacky virtual characters while Spin Master will be distributing a toy line in North America.
Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure
Here’s another up-and-comer with a digital connection.
This new property from giant Activision Blizzard pulls
videogame character Spyro into a new title and new world
that merges real toys with console play. The Skylanders
narrative, fleshed out by Hollywood writers who helped
develop mega-franchises like Toy Story, features heroic
defenders who were cast out of their world by evil being
Chaos. The physical and virtual worlds come together when
kids (primarily boys, who are we kidding?) place a Spyro
figurine upon a lighted platform, which is plugged into a gaming console. The non-articulated
figurine then transforms into an animated creature on-screen that users can control in game world.
Already picked up for North American distribution by Toys “R” Us, this will go wide in the fall.
Upping
the
Ante
Celebrating Excellence
in Canadian Sponsorship
To stand out in today’s congested and
highly competitive sponsorship world
you need to be bold and innovative.
Playing it safe isn’t the answer. To achieve
your goals, you’ve got to up the ante.
SMCC’s 8th Annual Conference is your
chance to get the inside story on
sponsorship marketing programs that
are setting new benchmarks for consumer
engagement and business outcomes.
Conference highlights include:
PepsiCo’s Neetu Godara on
the Pepsi Refresh Project
ParticipACTION’s Kelly Murumets
on Sports Day in Canada
The CFL’s Rob Assimakopoulos
on leveraging brand strategy
to build a sponsorship property
Results of the 2011 Canadian
Sponsorship Landscape Study
The industry’s biggest celebration
of excellence – the 7th Annual
Sponsorship Marketing Awards
Register today!
Visit sponsorshipmarketing.ca
THURSDAY, APRIL 7, 2011
INTERCONTINENTAL TORONTO CENTRE
m marketing inc.
driving behaviour.
building brands.
marketing with meaning
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d\[`X%
Value targeting
BY JONATHAN PAUL
Top youth brands’ niche connection plans
Young people are everywhere
all at once these days,
simultaneously watching TV,
texting, checking out YouTube
and scouring Facebook, perhaps
while playing a videogame. Sure,
you can reach them with a TV ad,
but that will only nab an iota of
their attention. Here’s how some
brands are breaking through the
clutter to connect with kids
on all fronts – hitting them at
their passion points and the
places where they “play”
34
Media.Apr11.indd 34
Teen singing sensation Justin
Bieber heralded the beginning
of a new online trend. Thanks
to his discovery on YouTube
and subsequent rise to
superstardom, kids all over the
world have begun tapping into
their inner pop stars, creating
YouTube videos of themselves
performing cover songs. It’s
made some into overnight
internet stars, like Maria Aragon
in Winnipeg whose cover of Lady
Gaga’s “Born this Way” was
promoted on Twitter by the artist
herself. At press time the little
girl’s video had accumulated
over 17 million views.
The trend has not gone
unnoticed by Coca-Cola. In
March, Coca-Cola Canada,
working with UM Canada,
launched a program with
MuchMusic called “Covers.”
It encourages young Canadians
to make videos of themselves
performing a cover of one of six
hit songs and submit them to
Covers.muchmusic.com.
Site visitors can vote for their
favourites, with participants
encouraged to solicit votes by
leveraging their social networks.
A series of elimination stages
will whittle the contestants
down to three finalists who
will be flown to Toronto for the
MuchMusic Video Awards in
June. There they will get to
walk the red carpet with one
lucky winner receiving a Covers
Award during the festivities.
“It’s a project that naturally
lends itself to all platforms,” says
Brad Schwartz, former SVP,
GM, Much MTV Group (at press
time, Schwartz had left to take
a position with Fuse, Madison
Square Garden’s national music
TV network). “You’re engaging
your audience to do something
active, not to just passively sit
and watch a 30-second ad, but
to participate.”
The program is being
promoted by a contest spot
airing on Much, both on TV
and online. Some of the best
submissions will be shown on
New Music Live. Once a top 10
has been established, those
videos will appear in Much
content. The Coca-Cola brand
is being completely integrated
into promotional devices
every step of the way, while
also earning social capital
as a topic of discussion
between participants and
their social networks.
“What we’re encouraging
teens to do with this program
w w w. s t ra t e g yo n l i n e.c a
16/03/11 4:04 PM
is demonstrate their optimism,
their hopes for the future
through music,” says Bobby
Brittain, VP, sparkling business
unit, Coca-Cola Canada. “The
oft-quoted example of Justin
Bieber is certainly something
that inspired this program as a
way of creating a really positive
future for people, and as a way
of connecting with each other
and celebrating being a teen.”
These days, a big part of
being a teen is the ability (and
incessant need) to multi-task.
Whether they’re into music,
fashion or sports, teens live out
their passions across a variety
of platforms, often at the same
time. Narrowing their efforts
against a diverse age range,
marketers are learning to
partnership with Apple’s iTunes,
wherein people who buy a
591 ml bottle of Coke receive a
free song download.
Brittain says that partnership,
along with “Covers” (the
largest effort around music the
company has engaged in over
the last 10 years and the first
time Coca-Cola Canada has
solicited user-generated content
from teens), is a localized
interpretation of the global
“Open Happiness” effort. This
global platform is seeing the
brand become more strategic
about the way it’s targeting
young people through music.
It includes a recently released
global “Anthem” commercial,
developed by Wieden + Kennedy
Amsterdam that will soon make
in London, which involved fans
around the world, who could
follow the session as it streamed
live on Coca-cola.com/music.
Viewers were able to interact
with the band, lending their
creative inspiration via a
movement-based projection
system in the studio that
streamed fans’ thoughts,
inspiration and comments
onto the studio walls to direct
the band in the creation of an
original song. The session was
promoted via Coke’s Facebook
page and Twitter, and bloggers
from countries around the world
were on site to document it.
Back in Canada, Brittain says
teens can expect more efforts
like the “Covers” program
coming from Coca-Cola.
Above: Coca-Cola gave Maroon 5 fans a chance to stream a recording
session and have their comments projected on the studio walls.
Opposite page: Oreo Cakesters billboards have been integrated into
various Xbox Kinect games to tempt youth where they play.
multi-task too, targeting teens
with campaigns that span those
playgrounds, in person, on TV
and especially online.
For Coca-Cola Canada,
music has become a key way
to engage youth where they
play. It recently entered into a
its way to iCoke.ca, featuring
young people rocking out to a
soundtrack provided by British
band One Night Only.
Another initiative on March 22
saw Coca-Cola team up with
the band Maroon 5 for a
24-hour recording session
“We are committed to
ensuring that we leverage
music into the future,” he says.
“We’re really excited about the
prospects for [‘Covers’] and
would love to see how that
evolves after this year.”
Mattel is another company
that’s recently teamed up
with a youth media brand to
integrate its products into
content to reach a younger
demographic. Working with
Trojan One, it orchestrated
pre-taped segments inserted
into broadcasts of MTV Live
in November and December
in which the cast went
head-to-head playing the
board game Apples to Apples.
It challenges players to come
up with off-the-wall noun and
adjective combinations. The
segments were advertised by
a branded promo spot, which
aired on MTV.
“We wanted to target a
younger audience than we
had targeted in the past for
adult games, really a younger
social audience,” says Kathleen
O’Hara, brand manager,
entertainment and games,
Mattel Canada. “So, it was
something different than just
running traditional TV spots,
and they really showcased how
your personality can make the
game more fun.”
O’Hara says that the MTV
partnership follows on the heels
of another, more old-school,
experiential program that
took the “Games Night”
model to university campuses
across Canada during frosh
week, where students were
encouraged to try out a roster
of Mattel’s adult games. Brand
teams set up tents and created
contests to draw people in,
giving games
as prizing.
“We really
wanted to
introduce our
games to an
audience that we
hadn’t necessarily
reached yet,” says
O’Hara. Mattel is looking
to adapt its on-campus
program next fall, targeting
university student residences
and further increasing
on-campus engagement
with promotions in campus
S T R AT E G Y April 2011
Media.Apr11.indd 35
35
16/03/11 4:05 PM
d\[`X%
Xbox hyped its hands-free Kinect platform through partnerships with MTV (left) and Musiqueplus, as well as an experiential launch event at Toronto’s Yonge-Dundas Square.
newspapers and on campus radio stations.
Trial was also the name of the game for Xbox
when it was promoting the launch of Kinect,
its hands-free gaming platform. In September,
working with Toronto-based Mosaic, Xbox set up a
pop-up Kinect hub across from the Eaton Centre
in Toronto and encouraged passersby to step
inside and try out the new platform. The launch
was celebrated with an event at Yonge-Dundas
Square, which featured a hanging glass living
room showcasing Kinect games and an exclusive
performance by electro DJ duo Christian Rich.
Periodic visits to the hub from other teen-friendly
celebrity brand ambassadors, like the band
Alexisonfire, Blake McGrath of So You Think You
Can Dance Canada fame and stars of Canadian
teen drama Degrassi, helped to build buzz,
drawing autograph-hungry youngsters to the site.
“That really pushed up our trials,” says Eric
Charles, marketing lead, Xbox Canada. “Sure,
you’re meeting a celebrity, but you also get to try
the Kinect experience. It was a really good way of
integrating something as simple as an autograph
signing with trial in a manner that wasn’t forced.”
Thanks to Kinect and its games with widerange appeal (like Dance Central), it also helped
attract a demo new to Xbox, hyper-social
teenage girls, whose social networks Xbox was
able to leverage to further promote the Kinect
experience, Charles says.
Charles and his team knew that trial would be
key to promoting the launch of Kinect based on
their first experience with it early on during the
product cycle.
“It wasn’t until we were able to try it ourselves
that we became advocates and believers,” he says.
“When we saw that insight, just within our own
marketing team, without doing any research, it
clicked with us that experiential was going to be
key to this.”
To take the experiential quotient wider, a giant
36
S T R AT E G Y April 2011
Media.Apr11.indd 36
billboard at Yonge-Dundas Square live-streamed hub
visitors as they played new games on the Kinect.
Massive posters also took over Yonge-Dundas
Square, with a domination at Dundas station. The
Kinect experience was touted by wild postings,
flyers and on MySpace. A similar Kinect experience
was launched in Montreal in October.
Xbox also pushed the Kinect launch through
partnerships with MTV and Musiqueplus. MTV
created an hour-long show called Dance Bang, a
spinoff, of sorts, of So You Think You Can Dance
Canada, where people could audition for the
chance to be crowned the best dancer playing
Dance Central as well as win $10,000. Over
7,000 entered, and Kinect also bought all of the
commercial breaks during the broadcast.
The partnership with Musiqueplus saw its hosts
competing against each other on the same game.
In addition to the targeted and experiential path,
Xbox also executed a robust, TV-heavy traditional
media spend, but did something a little different
with its buy, targeting conventional channels,
mostly CTV and Global, rather than its usual
specialty choices, in order to achieve a broader
range of shows to capitalize on co-viewing. TV
creative was picked up from Xbox’s U.S.-based
global messaging, and the Canadian buy was
handled by MacLaren McCann
“Going conventional, although it cost us more
money, our share of voice at the time of the buy
was 70% compared to our competition, so it
actually really worked when it came to segmenting
against our target audience,” says Charles.
Another dual-demo brand that augments mass
with digital friend gatherings to reach youth is
Oreo. Knowing that Kinect is a place where its
target demo would play, Kraft’s Oreo Cakesters
brands decided to get in the game and tag along
for the Xbox platform’s launch. Working with the
Toronto-based Armstrong Partnership, Cakesters
created its own branded section of the Kinect
hub and allowed visitors to demo Kinect Sports
and refuel with some Cakesters samples. The
Oreo brand also integrated itself into Kinect
games, being featured on billboards in various
gaming worlds. It also ran a contest over Xbox
Live, where members could download wacky
Cakesters wallpapers for opportunities to win
Xbox points, which could be redeemed for things
like games and equipment. The brand gave out
50,000 Xbox points a week and a grand prize of
an ultimate Kinect station including an Xbox and
a flat-screen TV.
“We were trying to, in a relatively efficient
way, get our message out to the teen and tween
groups [which are] becoming increasingly
fragmented,” says Chris Bell, VP of snacks, Kraft
Canada. “So, we tried to go where we thought
they would be and spend our money there.
We felt with Xbox – and Kinect is a new
technology – we would be partnering with a
solid brand that has cool factor and is bringing
news to the marketplace.”
The effort, says Bell, is one of Cakesters’ first
forays into the space, but is an area that it is
hoping to explore further following declining
success with TV advertising after the brand’s first
year (it was introduced in 2008).
“In the second and third year it really became
apparent that we needed to be a little more
specific with our targeting and that’s how we got
into the program with Xbox,” says Bell. “As we
go forward our media choices are leaning more
towards digital.”
As these brands show, media mashups, social
media friendly initiatives and experiential are a
few of the ways top youth marketers are reaching
out in more psychographic-specific programs.
Targeting values through passion points may add
layers of complexity to programs, but are key to
getting youths’ attention in a very fragmented
media and ultra-niche-interest world.
w w w. s t ra t e g yo n l i n e.c a
16/03/11 4:05 PM
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ST.19108.OliveMedia.Ad.indd 1
16/03/11 5:27 PM
BY TONY CHAPMAN
ILLUSTRATIONS BY BENNETT KLEIN, CAPITAL C (FLICKR.COM/PHOTOS/BENNETTKLEIN)
THE ENTREPRENEUR
FIRST MOVER ADVANTAGE
WITHOUT FIRST MOVER RISK
38
Forum.Apr11.indd 38
Social media has been the governing force for shaping
perception and behaviour since humans first learned to
communicate. We sought out the wisdom of people within
our network, which for much of our time on this planet was
constrained by our physical boundaries.
Our evolution was painfully slow and at times the collective
learning of an entire civilization was lost or suppressed due
to natural disasters, war or governing powers that preferred
to control by keeping the population ignorant.
Only through the advent of communication – the printing
press, radio, movies, television, internet and wireless – and
transportation did geographic boundaries collapse, and
ideas were shared without borders.
Instead of seeking the advice of one or a few, we
now shape our perceptions and behaviour based
on the wisdom of crowds. Rotten Tomatoes tells us
what moviegoers think of a film, while Web MD gives
us the ability to self-diagnosis or evaluate a doctor’s
recommendations for treatment.
The aggregation of human networks, opinion,
recommendation and behaviour is permanently shifting
power from the seller to the buyer, from hierarchy to
democracy. From Groupon to Apple Genius, Trip Advisor to
Google search, much of the world’s content is aggregated,
ranked and offered within arm’s reach of desire.
Our insatiable appetite for
socialization, connections,
content and
confirmation that we
belong, is propelling
us forward at
unmanageable speed.
Take, for example, the
human tragedy in Tunisia
where a young man lit himself
on fire to protest his country’s
corruption, unemployment and
inflation. The situation manifested into
a raging fire bomb that is igniting riots and
political coups in several countries offering
the same dire consequences.
To think that conventional marketing and sales
strategy can survive is as preposterous as a dictator
who believes he has the power to build a moat to keep
content from his constituents.
The one constant that remains for anyone in the
hope of persuasion is “attention,” the oxygen of
brand building. Only by getting the attention of
the buyer can we hope to shape perception and
behaviour. The question is, how?
Humans today are interacting
with multimedia like the
one-man band who managed
to marshal half a dozen
instruments to carve out a tune.
The problem, according to a
Stanford University study, is that
humans aren’t particularly good
at multi-tasking – we are more
accurate and attentive when we
are more selective and focused.
So how do we get attention?
By being relevant, meaningful
and first.
To do so, organizations will
need to adopt the finest military
strategy designed for speed and
return on resources deployed.
Corporations will need to
collapse their command and
control structure, internal and
external silos and cumbersome
planning process.
In their place they will create
flat teams that use continuous
intelligence as their lifeblood,
meaningful insights as their
creative source, and a cohesive
supply chain that includes
creative, marketing, sales,
finance and customer
marketing acting
as one with their
communication
agencies.
Gatorade in the
U.S. is an example
of a brand that
has it right.
Its mission
control combines
intelligence gathering and
a cross-discipline team
of internal and external
resources who can react
and deploy content
across any channel, and
have their company’s
support to adjust
tactics on the fly.
Can organizations reorganize for first
mover advantage without first mover risk?
Apple has done it in consumer electronics,
P&G is doing it in packaged goods.
Can organizations wean themselves from
always buying in and instead gain attention
through meaningful, relevant connections
that are in turn amplified? We just did it
with SunChips, where our viral and social
campaign, leveraged by Fleishman-Hillard,
earned millions of impressions and a
five-minute rant on Bill Maher’s show.
Will organizations accept that, in a world
of transparency, being relevant to some
will mean being highly irrelevant to others?
And therefore scrutinized and challenged
by others?
We had a backlash with our Nissan
Hypercube campaign, and with our Pepsi
“Eh Oh Canada Go” national cheer – we also
had millions on our side. You need clients
that value the importance of having their
brand being part of the conversation versus
standing on the sidelines.
In my opinion, this isn’t a question but
a marching order for every organization.
You have no choice but to compete where
relevance is married to speed, where
amplification is based on interest not
media dollars.
There is no better country in which
to create and deploy these new models
than Canada. We offer an extraordinary
marketplace – one of the most competitive
and contested in the world, with a highly
networked and distracted population. Yet we
are a size where the price of experimentation
and failure can be absorbed, knowing that
the price of success is exponential.
Fortune favours the bold.
Tony Chapman is the CEO of Toronto-based
Capital C.
w w w. s t ra t e g yo n l i n e.c a
16/03/11 4:08 PM
]fild%
BY ED LEE
IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHERE
SOCIAL MARKETING IS
HEADED, LOOK DOWN
POST-SOCIAL
Russell Davies in the U.K. coined the phrase “post digital”
about two years ago, and the current youth population is
now well into the second generation of digital natives. And
while social media was fresh six years ago, if you’re 17 or
18, you’ve only known an adolescence with
social media.
As my friend Eric Weaver
(@weave) says, “Google gave
us search, social gave us
sharing and we ain’t giving
either back.”
This generation’s entire
online lives have been
based on collaboration,
the ability to publish and
share, and they’ll bring the ethos of social media into the
work force and into their lives as mature consumers.
Brands need to reconsider how they’re built to serve the
consumer. Today’s (and tomorrow’s) consumer doesn’t
want to wait until you have a heavy-up media buy. They
have questions for you right now. 24/7/365.
Post-social indeed.
FACEBOOK AS A UTILITY
We know, anecdotally, that “youth” are on Facebook, what we
didn’t know is how much. According to a mash-up we did of
Facebook’s ad-targeting data and the 2010 census, 117% of
Canadian youth aged 15-19 have a Facebook account. (The
statistical anomaly is likely due to out-of-date census data,
kids lying about their age and duplicate accounts.) Facebook
is the new lunch hall, the new camp fire, the new common
room for everyone, but especially for the social natives.
For brands, it means online ecosystems need to change.
The dot-com still plays an important role in validating
consumer decisions but the
real magic is happening on
Facebook, where sharing and
recommendations happen more
than one billion times a day. If
you have an online strategy, you
need a Facebook strategy. Failing
that, you need a “startegy.”
Twitter? Not so much.
PERVASIVE USE
OF MOBILE
If youth aren’t on Facebook,
they’re on their mobiles. BBM,
SMS, playing games,
downloading apps
and, of course,
checking
Facebook.
About
one-
third of those on Facebook
access it through mobile devices.
For marketers it means we
can get closer to the point of
purchase and apply influence in
times and, thanks to geo-location
based services like Foursquare,
locations that really add value to
the bottom line – either through
intercepting a consumer on their
way to a competitor or incenting
a visit through a deal. While
every year is slated to be the one
mobile “breaks through,” there
are few great examples of brands
doing things well – Pizza Hut’s
excellent branded app and Axa
Insurance’s fantastic iAd being
two standouts for me.
AVOIDANCE OF
ONLINE ADVERTISING
While this generation shares too much
(pictures of underage partying, ill-advised
poses and even cyberbullying), they are
highly savvy and skeptical online. It’s
becoming increasingly difficult to attract
traffic through display advertising. The new
currency is sharing and recommendation,
which means marketers must get smarter
with the content we create.
Just 6% of 12- to 17-year-olds and 12% of
18- to 24-year-olds, according to a recent
Forester study, want an engaged relationship
with your brand. Highly entertaining branded
content is the name of this new game – in
order to break through, your marketing must
have share value. In order to develop share
value, we need to take advantage of all new
and evolving technologies and opportunities
(see how effective advertising on Twitter
was for Virgin America) while realizing that
each piece of marketing needs to stand out
not only in its category but against every
other advertiser.
When youth are avoiding your paid online
media, you need to earn your media through
outstanding (literally, standout) content like
P&G did for Old Spice, BMW did with The
Hire and Johnnie Walker did with “The man
who walked around the world.”
SO WHAT?
In this post-social, Facebook-as-utility,
increasingly mobile world in which
consumers are avoiding advertising,
marketers need to do two main things:
Up our game. Every campaign is a Super
Bowl campaign in that we need to get people
talking about the content and the brand.
Rethink the process. We must reinvent
ourselves in a mirror of the consumer
who doesn’t see any distinction between
“marketing,” “customer service,” “supply
chain” or even, heaven forbid, “human
relations.”
Ed Lee is director, social media at Tribal DDB
Toronto. Find him online at Edlee.ca or
@edlee on Twitter.
S T R AT E G Y April 2011
Forum.Apr11.indd 39
BRAND SOCIAL
There’s no shortage of people trying to predict the future. In
fact, there are 19,333 pages of results on SlideShare for the
term “trends.” While this column also predicts the future, it
does so by analyzing the present – if we want to know where
we’re going, we need a realistic idea of where we are now.
In the spirit of this issue’s focus on youth, I’m saying that is
exactly where we need to look. Working with clients such as
Teletoon in Toronto, BC Dairy in Vancouver and McDonald’s
via Kid Think, we at DDB Canada have plenty of opportunity
to research and learn from Canadian youth. The biggest
change we’ve seen falls into the following buckets: entering
the post-social world; Facebook as a utility; pervasive use of
mobile; and, lastly, avoidance of online advertising.
39
17/03/11 4:30 PM
a
b
c
e
d
i
n
40
PhotoSpread.Apr11.indd 40
j
k
o
w w w. s t ra t e g yo n l i n e.c a
16/03/11 4:10 PM
About 300 marketers, retailers and agency execs filled
the Bram & Bluma Appel Salon at the Toronto Reference
Library on March 2-3 for the Shopper Marketing Forum.
Co-presented by strategy and Launch!, the two-day
event brought together some of the biggest thinkers
in the business to deliver insight into the leading edge
of retail, like how to reach shoppers on auto-pilot,
create big in-store ideas that start store back and take
advantage of digital and mobile.
c
e
f
g
h
l
a. Dr. Neal Martin, founder and CEO, Sublime Behavior Marketing b. SMF co-chairs
Melissa Martin, director, customer & shopper marketing, Kraft Canada, and Jason
Dubroy, VP consumer & shopper strategy, Spider Marketing Solutions c. Catherine
Roe, head of CPG, Midwest, Google/YouTube d. SMF delegates e. Robert Levy,
president & CEO, BrandSpark International f. Kerry Gilfillan, VP, global shopper
insights, IMI International g. Andrew Assad, chief storyteller, Microsoft Advertising
h. Joe Jackman, CEO, Joe Jackman Brand i. Charlie Anderson, CEO North America,
Saatchi & Saatchi X j. Dr. Brian F. Harris, chairman, The Partnering Group k. Kristen
Nostrand, global customer & channel marketing leader, Procter & Gamble l. Steve
McGraw, director, customer & shopper insights, Kraft Canada m. Russell Goldstein,
executive publisher, strategy n. Chantal Rossi Badia, head of industry, CPG & retail
Canada, Google o. Sandra Sanderson, SVP marketing, Shoppers Drug Mart; Kevin
Lund, global VP of grocery, Perennial; Maureen Atkinson, senior partner, JC Williams
Group p. BrandSpark’s Best New Product Awards, which were doled out at the
conclusion of SMF All photos by Sean Torrington ([email protected])
m
p
S T R AT E G Y April 2011
PhotoSpread.Apr11.indd 41
41
16/03/11 4:11 PM
back page.
Preschooled in advertising
john st. launches a new office with a focus on youth
8 key insights from
john jr.’s planning dept.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Silly Bandz-vertising
Giraffes
Eating paste
Cross promotions
Culture jammers
Psychographics
Pokémon
Augmented napping
john st. has just opened the doors to its new
shop, john jr., with the tagline “an agency for
the kids, by the kids.” “When we looked into
advertising to children,” says Angus Tucker,
co-creative director of john st., “we realized
we didn’t really have the expertise in house to
do great work. A quick trip to the top creative
kindergarten programs fixed that.”
It’s no secret our industry
is getting younger every
day, so we just took the
next logical step – Angus Tucker
“The benefits of working with a child
staff were apparent right away,” says
co-CD Stephen Jurisic. “They work for
peanuts, I mean literally, they will work for
unshelled peanuts. You gotta watch out
for allergies, but otherwise, it’s great.”
john jr.’s new creative guru
An interview with john jr.’s elusive creative director Billy Strumbuck
Following on the heels of his success creating
the “pink pony birthday movement” for Chelsea
Bedano’s eighth birthday*, Billy Strumbuck has
been chosen to head up the creative
department at john jr. He took time out of his
busy schedule to sit down with strategy.
How many years have you been in
advertising? Two.
How many years have you been on the
planet? Six.
What’s your favourite animal? A giraffe.
* Search “pink ponies” on Stimulantonline.ca
42
S T R AT E G Y April 2011
BackPage.Apr11.indd 42
Photo by Harold Strumbuck
w w w. s t ra t e g yo n l i n e.c a
16/03/11 4:15 PM
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ST.19139.Quebecor.Ad.indd 1
16/03/11 5:28 PM
25% of Canadians
have 3+ credit cards.1
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77% of Canadians
own their own home.1
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influence the purchase of all
consumer goods and services.5
The Sympatico.ca audience is 45% more likely than average to influence household finance decisions.4
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Canadians come to YourMoney.ca to learn about banking and budgeting.
Let us help your brand reach this audience. Jerrold Litwinenko at
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Sources: 1. PMB Survey 2010, 2. Canadian Bankers Association 2010, 3. eMarketer 2010, 4. PMB/comScore 2010, 5. SheWatch 2011
ST.17973.Sympatico.Ad.indd 1
15/03/11 1:54 PM